Hard Won, Long Awaited
by anathemaofyggdrasil
Summary: No, he had spent his life believing in fate. Obeying the will of a universe in which the Gods were expected to grace him with their power. He would no longer be the play-thing of prophecy. He would see his country through to a thriving future... And he would not sacrifice his bonds with his friends to do it./Discontinued
1. Ignoring the Warning

**AN: This story has been discontinued. My apologies to those who have read and kept up with it- I'm afraid that the excitement and love I had for 15 in particular has been beaten into a slow death. I leave it up only for those of you who wish to read on despite the lack of a conclusion, and for those of you who read and encouraged me as I went. At this time I have no plans to return to it, but who knows what may happen in the future.**

* * *

It was the chilled, empty space that woke him from a pleasant dream involving the ocean and golden sands. Normally, Gladiolus would twist and turn throughout the night as his mind conjured up a million different things he could never remember, but his sleep was never disturbed by his leaping imagination. Most of the time he would wake up sprawled over his prince, protectively cradling his dark hair with one large and calloused hand. It never woke Noctis though. In fact, hardly anything persuaded Noctis into wakefulness, unless they had already got him sitting up and had spent a good while pestering him.

So it was downright strange when he rolled over and his hand grasped at empty bedding.

"Hm…?", he opened one eye slowly, dragging himself out of the beckoning hands of sleep, then the other as he pushed an arm under him to look around. His brows drew down, and he sat up swiftly. Prompto was still asleep, but he could see the light of the camp stove and smell the rich scent of Ebony. Ignis was awake.

Gladiolus groaned softly as he rose, arms extending underneath him, and ducked out of the tent. Yup, there was Iggy, sitting next to a newly lit campfire with a mug in hand.

"Where's Noctis?", he asked. He pulled his boots on and laced them with practiced motions, glancing around. Noctis never woke up on his own, not this early. Not even to take a piss.

And how did he slip out without waking up Gladiolus?

"Went for a walk, I believe", Ignis didn't look up from his phone. A quick peek- King's Knight. Should have known, they were all playing the stupid game right now. Of course, Prompto was the responsible one. He'd downloaded it first, hadn't shut up about it, and was so often handing it off for someone to farm his tree or upgrade his items while he was busy that eventually they had all gotten hooked. Even Noctis, who Gladiolus never really saw on his phone. He was usually sleeping.

"And you thought that was a good idea?", the big man jogged to the edge of the haven, skidding a few small pebbles off the edge, and gazed out into the dark underbrush and the huge pipeline between the haven and the road. Anxiety crawled across his skin. How was he supposed to find him in this dark? Why the _fuck_ did Ignis let him go alone?

"Even the prince needs some time to himself. I'd suggest leaving him alone." Finally, Ignis had looked up and could now see Gladiolus scowling at him.

"Are you kidding me? No way in hell. Which way did he go?", there was no way he was leaving the prince to prance around in the dark. Where daemon's could get ahold of his royal ass. What was Ignis thinking?

The advisor sighed and lowered his mug to his knee. Gladiolus didn't appreciate the look he was given— he was being judged. He knew that accusatory stare. _What did I do?_ He was always after Noctis for something or other, but it was his job dammit. The guy couldn't live in his catered little world forever.

"Forget it. I'll find him", it was a promise and a threat, because he was going to throttle Noctis for straying like this. Damned royalty. He had no concern for their worry, always rushing off ahead into throngs of enemies or disappearing around corners and ducking into tiny passages before Gladiolus could grab his coat.

Slippery as a wet cat, and with a similar temper to boot.

 _No wonder he sleeps so much._

He set out in the direction of the Regalia, which was parked on the side of the road some 200 meters away. If Ignis wasn't worried, he was probably close by. And while unusual, the car was a prominent location in their little group. Noctis might even have moved to sleep in it if he actually had been woken by Gladiolus's tossing. The thought sparked a little guilt and dimmed his annoyance. It wasn't easy sleeping next to someone who moved so much, which was why Ignis now slept between him and Prompto. Poor Ignis. But it was better than Prompto being sacrificed to Gladiolus's ire.

Still, a little discomfort didn't mean the prince could run off like this. Again, Gladiolus had to wonder why Ignis hadn't hauled their charge back. It wasn't normal behavior for Noctis to go off in the middle of the night anyway, he couldn't have been itching for a stroll that bad.

Gladiolus shined his light into the car once he had reached it, and opened a door to peer in for good measure. No prince uncharming to be found.

"Damn brat…"

He turned around and looked over the relatively flat area. The haven was carved out of a stone outcropping, glowing faintly with a starry backdrop. There were several boulders surrounding it, though none of them easy to climb. The anxiety heightened as he started picking his way back to camp, eyes scanning uselessly in the dark. Insomnia never felt as pitch black as the countryside did, and while Gladiolus dug the whole camping thing, even he felt uneasy in this much darkness. How was he supposed to find the prince?

Movement had him summoning his sword in a split second, but thank the Gods he didn't swing. It was Noctis, looking startled off to his right, seated on a little rock _with no god damn light._

"What the _hell_ are you doing? Trying to get killed?", Gladiolus snapped, reaching down to grab Noctis and haul him up like he had done a million other times. But Noctis _flinched_ , recoiled as if about to be struck, and it made Gladiolus's heart plummet. For a long moment there was silence, before Noctis looked away. The King's Shield slowly pulled his hand back. He'd seen Noctis move similarly a few times now, dodging a friendly touch or dancing away from them when they came too close, but it had always been after battle. Gladiolus had chalked it up to adrenaline.

Maybe it wasn't.

As brave in battle as he was, talking wasn't his strongest gift. He felt a moment of temptation to leave the matter alone— Ignis _had_ said to leave Noctis be— but then… If something was hurting Noctis… It was his job to know. Some things he couldn't fix, tragedies such as his Majesty's death and the loss of Insomnia were beyond his power, but Noctis jerking back like that? It made Gladiolus worry. Who hurt the prince? When? Why flinch away from a friend?

"Ah…", shit, nice way to start. He was held up by silence again until he looked at the ground lit up by his light. "Sure you should be so far off?"

 _Dammit._

A soft laugh, and Noctis pulled his legs tighter. The action drew the tank's attention to the younger man's posture, which was defensively drawn tight. Not loose, carefree in their presence as was normal. Gladiolus couldn't see his face to know exactly what that laugh meant. The prince's tone was sometimes hard to read.

After a few seconds without a response, Gladiolus huffed and switched his light off to sit down in the dark with Noctis. Within moments the shadows felt like they were creeping along his skin, and he had to wonder how the prince was comfortable at all.

Perhaps sitting on a rock, rather than dusty earth, had something to do with it.

"So… Any particular reason you're up so early? Kinda unusual for you."

An understatement.

He could barely see the shrug Noctis gave him, and the action only irritated him. He wished the dark haired royal would _speak up_ sometimes. He tried again. "Ya wanna tell me why?"

"Not really."

His tone slid through the shadows like oil rising above water, distinct but smooth. And quiet. Gladiolus tried to get a better look at Noctis's face as the prince looked towards the setting moon, but all he could see was the faint outline of his friend. He really needed to adjust to the faint lighting, and quickly. It was making him nervous, being unable to see.

"Alright… What about why you flinched like that?", he asked, and suddenly had the intense sensation of eyes on him. At least the look was coming from Noctis and not some wild animal. Was he prying? No. It was his job to pry, shake, and hunt down every detail of Noctis's life so he could protect the future king from his own mistakes as well as attacks.

More silence, and he couldn't take it. He reached out and grabbed hold of Noctis's arm, and didn't miss the way the prince leaned away from him for it. His hand was shaken off immediately, and Gladiolus scowled. "What the hell are you acting like this for?"

"Can you just leave me alone?", Noctis's voice brought about an discomfort that made Gladiolus swallow. He sounded… Tired. Beyond tired, exhausted. And sad, but in that achingly hollow way that didn't seek comfort. It disturbed the Shield, because the prince should _never_ sound like that. As if all hope was lost. It just wasn't right.

"Can you just answer my questions?", Gladiolus snapped, and groaned subconsciously for getting sharp. He always did with Noctis, but the damned prince was so evasive. He never knew what the guy was thinking unless he riled him up enough to make his thoughts obvious. He knew immediately that he'd made a mistake in asking so roughly, because the reluctant silence from Noctis got a lot heavier. Gladiolus didn't know what to say to sway Noctis back into speaking, and the temptation to scold him rose again. But that wasn't going to help.

"Fuck, Noct. Just talk to me", he said, and shifted a bit closer. He could feel the air suddenly charge with electricity and Noctis stiffen. For a moment, the Shield thought he was going to get shocked by a Thunder, but the danger in the air slowly faded away. Noctis didn't move away again, but the silence persisted until Gladiolus felt the need to open his mouth again. Noctis's voice stopped him from speaking.

"It was just a nightmare", the prince said quietly.

"A nightmare?", the tall man scoffed in disbelief, and then was startled as Noctis shifted away.

"If you don't care then don't ask. Just leave me alone."

"Wait, wait-", he grabbed Noctis before he could get up, and this time got his hand zapped for it. He didn't know Noctis could _really_ do a mini zap until now, was he really that mad at Gladiolus for finding a nightmare this ridiculous?

"Ouch- fuck Noct-." He should his hand to relieve some of the tingling, clenching and releasing a fist to get some feeling back. He could almost feel Noctis's ire, and remembered with sudden clarity the increasing annoyance in the prince's voice lately whenever they teased him. Noctis was growing entirely unamused with their habits lately. Maybe Gladiolus couldn't just go about grabbing him anymore… He would be the king one day.

The thought weighed his heart down, but he clung to the image of his father and King Regis striding down to halls or seated in the dining hall together. Noctis being king one day didn't mean that they couldn't be friends.

"Sorry." Gladiolus could hear how subdued Noctis had gotten again. Dammit. At least he wasn't going anywhere, and the tattooed man was finally starting to be able to see.

"It's fine. Probably shouldn't be grabbing you anyway. Just… Tell me about the nightmare." He couldn't believe he was really saying that. Since when were nightmares bad enough to wake Noctis up in the middle of the night? And Ignis for that matter too, the bespectacled man had to have been woken by Noctis. Which irritated him measurably, why hadn't _he_ woken up?

Again, silence. Again, Gladiolus had just started to open his mouth to speak when Noctis beat him to it.

"We were on a train. And… Something was really wrong. We felt really wrong." The prince was quiet, as quiet as the night after he'd left his apartment without an escort and Gladiolus had caught up to him just in time to prevent a drunken mugging at gunpoint. That was a far cry from Fayemoore Haven, north of Hammerhead, in the dead of night and surrounded by stars rather than buildings.

"We as in you and me?", that was… Not very enlightening. But concerning. If Noctis had an issue with him, he didn't know what had caused it.

There was a sound of frustration.

"Yeah, but… Not just us. Everyone. Everyone was upset and…", the prince trailed off, and Gladiolus couldn't help but stiffen at the suffering that laced his tone a moment before.

"And?", he prompted, a little more into the talking thing now. That dream sounded pretty fucked up. He never had nightmares where the group wasn't getting along. The thought drew a shudder. His worst nightmares consisted of failing in his duty, in Noctis being torn away from them by their own carelessness.

He didn't try to touch Noctis again, instead waiting impatiently for that voice to sound again. Maybe if he went to speak—

"I've never felt so much… Grief", sure enough, Noctis was talking again, "It was like it was all I could feel. And it was so real. It felt like I was really there."

Gladiolus frowned, and tap his fingers nervously on his crossed knees. He didn't know how to respond to that. He couldn't really just tell Noctis to suck it up, could he? There had to be a reason it had continued to bother him.

"That it?"

Another pause, but he could see Noctis's expression this time. It twisted with worry and reluctance, and with fear. Fear that had Gladiolus's heart rate pick up in empathy. He didn't like the way his prince shifted again, didn't like seeing slim fingers pull at his pants legs in anxiety. The darkness around them seemed thicker for it.

"I think you hated me."

It was like a blow to the stomach, as if he were actually being assaulted by surprise. Gladiolus let out a breath and went wide eyed, jaw tightening as his lips thinned into a fine line.

"What the hell makes you say that?", he asked, resting his elbows on his knees to lean forward. He didn't like that one bit. Dream or not, he never wanted Noctis to think that he hated him. That was just stupid. They were best friends, and while they hadn't hit it off in the beginning they were as close as they could be now. Hell, Gladiolus would do anything for Noctis.

Noctis sighed uncomfortably and shifted, stretching his legs out. The Shield was glad to see that, it meant that the prince wasn't feeling as vulnerable. Maybe the talking thing really had a purpose beyond emotional shit, if it could make Noctis relax.

"It was your eyes. You looked so angry man. I don't know what I did to piss dream-you off, but you were gunna beat me any second for it." Noctis sounded frustrated. His ran his fingers through his hair, and for just a moment his eyes caught enough light for Gladiolus to see the wounded look in them. That wasn't right.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up over a dream. It's not real." He didn't enjoy seeing the prince stressing over something so unimportant. Everything was fine in the real world. Noctis hummed in agreement, and silence fell for a while, until his royalty yawned and Gladiolus chuckled.

"You should get your last few hours in. We're after those bounties tomorrow, you're going to need it", he said, "Can't have you sleeping on the job now."

Noctis laughed. "Yeah, you guys give me enough shit already…", he muttered, and Gladiolus didn't miss the hint of irritation in the statement. Maybe he needed to lay off a bit. In any case, the issue that had caused Noctis to seek alone time had been dealt with, and hopefully tomorrow night Gladiolus would wake up with the prince next to him like normal. He stood up, clicking his light back on, and held his hand out to Noctis.

He stilled when he saw how pale the prince was, but didn't get the chance to say anything when Noctis took his hand and hauled himself up. In a swift movement, the prince had moved past him and was already walking towards camp. How did he see in the dark enough to move around?

But it slipped his mind as he jogged to catch up, already thinking about the approaching day and what was in store for them.

So like the question about the darkness, the reason for Noctis's flinching went unanswered.


	2. The Foundation of Stength

"Man, wasn't it sunny a few minutes ago?"

Ignis pushed his glasses up as the group eased through Deadeye's lair, keeping an eye out for the destructive Behemoth now that they had gotten past the Voretooth pack hanging around the entrance. The beasts appeared to be tailing the Behemoth, most likely scavenging after it. At his side was Gladiolus, and Prompto tailed the little group while Noctis lead.

"The gloom is rather heavy under this fog", the bespectacled man replied to their more exuberant friend.

Noctis peered back at Ignis and Prompto in such a way to imply they should shut up, and then more passively at Gladiolus, who had been quiet since they entered the area. Given his shield's instincts, Noctis was more inclined to follow his lead than theirs and would rather they all keep quiet when it seemed appropriate. Up ahead were some ruins, cracked and covered in vegetation. It would have been pretty, in an ominous sort of way. It made him wonder if that was what the Citadel was starting to look like… When they had overlooked Insomnia it was still smoking. The fires must have had time to cool, and all the reports said that it remained empty now. That was a painful image for him, to imagine his childhood home empty.

He wondered, heart aching, if his father had received a proper send off.

Lost in his thoughts, Noctis stooped down to enter a hole in the ruins but hesitated, a chill cutting through him as a foreign growl rippled through the air. At the same time, he felt a big hand slap onto his chest and shove him back roughly.

"Noct!"

Gladiolus swept before him, body tense and gaze locked ahead of them. There was worry in the wrinkles between his brows and the set of his jaw. He glanced back, raising his hand to stop Noctis from going forward, though the effort was hardly effective. A moment of battle between their wills ensued, and while the big guy wasn't happy about the prince entering such a dangerous area, Noctis could feel Gladiolus relenting. Silently, he compromised that he would keep back and allow the bigger man to lead… Though that wasn't hard with the growls of the Behemoth continuing to echo through the area. Noctis wasn't altogether sure he wanted to see this beast after hearing it. The collapsed trees weren't reassuring either.

Noctis felt the grass brushing up under the cuffs of his pants as he followed gradually, his Shield creeping forward just as slowly, fingers skimming the ground as he went— his shorter stature had a use here, he could almost stand up straight while Gladiolus had to crouch.

He wasn't sure if he should be proud of that or not.

It didn't last but a few feet in before he had to crouch as well. He stabilized himself with a hand against the wall and prayed that Prompto, who he could hear behind him breathing in anxiety over the tight space, wouldn't trip and throw him forward. He'd done that in the dungeon and scared the shit out of all of them by knocking Noctis out of sight. The imps, while not too dangerous, terrified them all with their unnatural creepiness.

The growls of the Behemoth set his heart off as he stuck close to the wall, the grooved stone catching at his palm. Gladiolus froze for a moment, leaned back, but then deliberately waved Noctis forward. He heard the steps of the Behemoth first, thumping against the ground so hard that the further the prince crawled the stronger the earthly vibrations became. Deadeye was walking right past them, and all four held their breath and went still as he did…

The roar made each of them jump. Deadeye was louder than anything Noctis had ever heard, he could feel the creature's bellow reverberating in his chest as Gladiolus crept back, closer to them. The beast was sniffing around now, and Noctis got a good enough look at him to understand where his name came from.

' _Deadeye,'_ Gladio mouthed, upraising a finger vertically across his eyes and squinting it shut, ' _blind in one eye._ ' The Shield was quick to look back at the huge animal, but cringed in unison with Noctis as the sound of tearing, squelching flesh and breaking bones filled the air.

Suddenly, Noctis could smell the rancid odor of decomposing flesh and the dull metallic scent of old blood. His face scrunched up, and he couldn't help the sick feeling in his throat. It reminded him of the attack, all those years ago. His mind protested the memory and he quickly turned his thoughts away from it, just in time for the beast to lumber off. Gladiolus let out a sigh of relief and looked back, checking on Noctis, who nodded and looked back to the others. Prompto looked seconds away from fainting, and even Ignis looked rather pallid.

"We're supposed to fight _that_?", Prompto whispered, thoroughly spooked. He shifted a bit closer to Noctis, who eyed the distance between them but allowed it without pushing the blond away. Ignis too inched closer, and glanced up over some of the rubble.

"He appears to be well away already… It's not too late to turn back", he said, seriously considering it. The amount of scars on the creature… Obviously men with more experience than them had tried before. And failed. The group looked to the prince, who grew uncomfortable with their gazes.

"Ah… We can't exactly leave him to terrorize people. And we're already here", he said quietly. Gladiolus chuckled lowly, but he wasn't looking at Noctis anymore. He was watching the thick mist.

"Well said. No one else who came through after him had what we have", he said, a sort of quiet confidence and eagerness in his tone. Noctis recognized it, the man was enjoying these recent excursions. Battles against beasts and daemons were all to a good cause, but he would rather be on his way to Altissia already. Lunafreya needed them. Sometimes he thought that Gladiolus would rather be running around being a hero than be his Shield.

The thought called his recent dream to mind. His talk with Gladiolus that night hadn't helped much at all, though he hadn't expected it to and hadn't been trying to get comfort from his friend. There had been almost too much in it for him to decipher, and he wanted time to figure it out… Though normally he wouldn't spend so much time on some random dream.

"Yeah!", Prompto said, a little more enthusiastically, "we've got each other. And magic. I think magic goes a long way."

"That it does. Shall we continue on before Noctis settles down for another nap?", Ignis teased gently, only a tiny curve at the corner of his lips giving away his own humor at his joke.

"Ha ha, let's go."

They continued on, moving a little more confidently now that they knew what the creature sounded like. They would hear it from a distance, so there was no worry of a surprise attack. The area it had stopped to eat at was barren but for some crushed grass and a few suspicious damp spots. The mist didn't let up as they carried on, and Noctis noticed with some trepidation that it only seemed to be growing thicker.

"It's weak on the right side, no eye, no horn", Gladiolus said, jogging on Noctis's right. Obviously he was thinking of the upcoming fight. They were keeping close to the left wall of the winding stones, so naturally he had put himself between the prince and the open space.

"We'll stay in range until we can exploit its blind spot", Ignis added, and Noctis hummed in agreement. He heard Prompto laugh nervously at the idea.

"I'd rather get this one from a distance guys", he said, and as the least skilled of the group he had reason to be nervous. Sometimes they forgot that Noctis wasn't the only one that needed protecting— he _had_ gotten years of training, which Gladiolus could personally attest to.

Noctis ducked under some fallen tree trunks before Gladiolus could stop him and trotted out into the open area. Visibility was horrible, and there were awful screeches and calls echoing around the forest that Noctis wasn't quite sure came from the Behemoth.

"Exercise due caution", Ignis said as he and the others caught up to Noctis, who hadn't realized he had run ahead. He caught the stern look from his friend and jerked his chin down in a nod. They went on, closer together, until they reached a rock pile and a barb wire fence… It took a couple minutes to get over it, and a lot of effort to prevent clothes from getting ripped. Noctis had to wonder _why_ the damned thing was even there.

"Who puts up barbed fences in the middle of the forest?", he grumbled, watching as Prompto finally dropped over. His question would go without additional comment though, because once all four of them were over Deadeye's echoing growl sounded off, bouncing from tree to tree and making the friends as stiff with tension as any pine. They eased into the mist until movement caught their eyes, and without cover, everyone shrank down. To their utter relief Deadeye was lumbering away.

"We've got the beast in our sights", Gladiolus murmured. His fingers flexed, ready to call his weapon and launch an assault.

"But no plan of attack", Ignis reminded him, "the Behemoth should be headed back to its lair, where we can catch it fully off guard." The statement had Noctis studying the shadow of the beast in the mist.

"Yeah, as long as we stay on guard ourselves."

The last thing they needed was to be surprised by a Voretooth pack and catch the thing's attention. It was beyond unsettling to follow it through the dense fog, trying to remain near enough not to lose it or get lost themselves, while also avoiding detection. Several times the creature stopped, and they mimicked him. Prompto had a moment where he peeked out from behind their rock shelter and had to jump back, startled by a swinging tail less than ten feet away. Eventually the creature hopped a rock wall, leaving them alone to the area.

"What now?", Gladiolus asked with a breath of frustration. The anxiety of the encounter was making him angry.

"Maybe there's another way through?", Prompto suggested, and with Noctis at his side investigated the wall. It only took a moment to find a narrow passageway. Gladiolus made a noise of discomfort as he slipped in behind the two, and Noctis again had a moment of smugness. Being smaller _did_ have its advantages, he wasn't rubbing his chest against the opposite wall like Gladiolus. Ignis was silent as ever, but Prompto…

"Ah…Haha… Ohhh, hurry up Noct, I'm suffocating in here", his friends stressed voice encouraged him forward faster, and soon enough the rocks opened up.

"All in a day's work", Gladiolus said, satisfaction at making it through the passage saturating his tone. He apparently hadn't liked the small space either. Prompto was busy looking around curiously, hands on his knees as he bent to take slow breaths. Ignis was likewise studying their surroundings.

"Gotta wonder what this place used to be", the camera enthusiast supposed, gaze wandering up the towering walls.

"I haven't a clue", Ignis supplied quietly, and tapped Prompto's shoulder to refocus him.

The further they went the more signs of abandoned civilization they found, until they dropped into what could only have been a large building or a small, well developed city. If a city had been there, Noctis found it disconcerting that he didn't know about it. Perhaps it was from before his father's time?

"Careful!", Gladiolus shot his hand out to grab Prompto, who had stumbled into a large barrel. Ignis crouched to look at the faded label on the dull red paint.

"Oil. This must have been a drill sight before the Behemoth moved in…", he said as he stood. Noctis stared at the drum for a long moment, a plan formulating in his mind. Ignis caught the look in his eyes.

"You've a plan, prince Noctis?"

Gladiolus turned his gaze onto their charge, curious and judging. It irritated Noctis to no end. His friend lived to tell him when he was being stupid. The dark haired man took a moment to formulate his thoughts before speaking. "Yeah. You guys hang back, I'll lure him close to the oil. When he's near it I'll warp out and one of you guys will toss a fira at it."

Gladiolus's expression had gone flat.

"That's a stupid idea. You'll get hurt."

Noctis felt the ugly pull of annoyance, and scoffed. Of course.

"So what's your plan, huh?", he asked, missing the nervous expression on Prompto's face. The happy male didn't enjoy conflict in the group. Ignis was looking at the both of them with growing frustration, but he wouldn't say anything. Arguments between Noctis and Gladiolus were always explosive, and Noctis usually endured a verbal smack-down for it. The prince had to learn that not even Gladiolus, as the tallest, strongest, and oldest, could talk him down like that.

"My plan is to take care of this thing like we do everything else. There's no need for a fancy plan when _I'm_ on the job", he shot back, hands raising to rest on his hips. His back straightened to pop his shoulders back, a posture that only served to rile Noctis up. _That pompous-!_

"My way keeps anyone from risking getting hurt. Prompto, can you toss the firas?", Gladiolus's mouth opened in a little look of surprise when Noctis turned his back on him. Prompto wasn't the only one who saw him take a step forward— Ignis did too, and put himself directly between them with a narrow eyed look at the Shield. The action stopped Gladiolus from stopping the prince, but he wasn't deterred.

"Uh- sure Noct. When you warp right?", Prompto tailed after him, shaking his arms out to prepare for the upcoming battle. Noctis nodded tightly.

"Yeah. Once I'm out of there, toss it right at the barrel."

"Noct! Look, this isn't a game, you need to be more careful than going in alone", Gladiolus took several long strides and weaved around Ignis to catch up to Noctis and reached out, grabbing him by the shoulder. The touch sent a horrendous lurch of alarm through the dark haired man, and he threw his Shield's hand off hard.

Prompto's brow furrowed, and he slowed to a stop just ahead of them. He had noticed the movement, as had Ignis, though the taller man didn't look surprised. Gladiolus ignored it, chalking it up to anger.

"All kidding aside, this could be bad", he said.

"Which is why we're staying out of it, right?", Prompto said, looking between them. Gladiolus's eyebrows dipped down and the bridge of his nose wrinkled with annoyance.

"No. That's why we need to keep Noctis out of it."

The prince sighed, and ran his hand through his hair. Blue eyes, almost grey in the dim lighting, met Gladiolus's fierce brown. "Trust me, will you?" His words made Gladiolus deflate a little, and Noctis watched as he turned the words over in his mind. He wasn't sure which way the tough man would go with this.

"Fine… But if you get hurt, you won't even be able to make a plan for dinner on your own."

Ignis scoffed, "As if he would cook dinner at all?"

That brought a smile to Noctis, and Prompto laughed freely as the tension died away. He hopped a little, stretching his calves.

"Oh man, that was intense. You two have been getting way too-"

 _ **THUNK!**_

The ground shook under their feet as Deadeye dropped from a ledge at the bottom of the stony expanse. The beast tossed his head, snarling at the invading humans, and started towards them at a gallop.

"Oh! Oh! Here we go!"

"Be careful Noctis!"

"Go get 'em!"

Noctis threw Flame Tongue at the Behemoth, his friends' encouragements making his actions surer. He warped directly into the creature's back and then straight up as Deadeye howled and pulled back onto his hind legs, swiping up into the air. Noctis barely avoided the jab— _he's fast!_ Rubber sole met boney claw as Noctis used the momentum of the swipe to leap away, and threw his blade again. The Behemoth let out a roar of beastly rage and confusion, running after him as he appeared near one of the oil barrels. The others had moved far out of range, which was good, because Deadeye was more agile than Noctis had expected.

"Prompto!"

Noctis threw his blade again, warping after it and appearing in the empty window ledge of an old building. He saw the little ball of fire sail through the air, and grinned as it hit the oil. The tank exploded into a massive burst of flame that scorched Deadeye's underbelly.

"Woohoo! Go Noct!"

Too early to celebrate, Deadeye wasn't done yet. He stampeded out of the flames towards the wall, flames coating his thin fur and raw, burnt flesh producing the most vulgar of smells. Noctis tossed his blade again, landing next to another drum as Deadeye bashed into the wall with enough force to collapse the entire thing into a pile of crumbled stone. The sight of the creature's strength was astonishing.

"Noctis move!"

He didn't need Gladiolus telling him, he had already thrown his blade to the next drum as the Behemoth charged towards him. A second explosion went off— and Deadeye ran right through it! Taken by surprise, Noctis threw his blade behind the Behemoth, only aiming to get behind him before warping again and out of danger. But when he rolled to his feet, facing the drum and the Behemoth only a few feet away, he had the slightest of seconds to see an orb of fire sailing through the air. _Too early!_ Prompto must have thought he was warping out! The moment was distraction enough for Deadeye's tail to catch him on his side, and Noctis was flung to the ground just under the swaying appendage.

"NOCT!", Prompto's terrified scream was followed by a sudden rush of heat and light, and the bellow of an agonized creature. Noctis covered his face, felt the abrupt and intense stinging of flames on his body, but the most terrifying part was when he inhaled— and all he felt in his lungs was fire.

Deadeye folded like a marionette doll onto the worst of the flame, and the sudden weight of the Behemoth's tail fell over Noctis, crushingly heavy. He couldn't breathe, even if he wasn't keen on feeling the overheated air again. The crash of his friend's footsteps were engulfed by the blood rushing like an ocean wave in his ears. Spots of darkness stole into his vision, filling it like drops of black in an empty glass. Voices, muted but resonating like sound underwater, surrounded him. He vaguely felt the touch of fingers to his throat, felt the weight on his chest being lifted as a shadow passed over him. The first breath of air he tried to take failed to make it passed his throat before agony forced him to exhale, and his lungs burned for oxygen despite his body's rejection.

" _No- …cou- ….something!"_

" _Gr-…-tion!"_

His friends were panicking, he knew. He rose a hand which protested the motion with everything his body could afford to scream with, and he knew, intuitively, that there was no turning back from _this._ This was death. This was-

 _Gentiana?_

She was clear in his vision, though upside down in his perspective as she stood at his head. He felt hands at his chest, big and pressing hard. It hurt, in that far away sense that he had for everything right now. Another hand, far smaller, grabbed the one he had raised.

"The King's fate lies not in the might of the Gods, but his own hands. These shall not be the fires which torment you."

Gentiana disappeared as another shadow passed over him, and he saw Gladiolus's eyes dip into his tunneled vision. A moment later, air was forced into his lungs through numb lips that were warmed by something other than fire— when had he begun to feel cold?

Gladiolus's face disappeared back into the dark as the pain of rough, desperate hands on his chest forced life to continue in his body. Gentiana was there again, but this time much closer. Her hand, pale and adorned by slim fingers, touched down gently to his forehead and brushed his bangs aside. His body grew as cold as the fire had burned hot, and again his vision was distorted by Gladiolus forcing him to breathe. It didn't hurt though… In fact, nothing hurt. He just felt tired.

"Sleep, King of Kings, for once a God there will be few times for it."

The light faded away, leaving Gladiolus's inconsolably wet and red eyes last of all… And then Noctis knew nothing.

* * *

"…can't let him keep sleeping, it's killing me…"

"It's a damned miracle, leave him be Gladio…"

A long silence, enough time for Noctis to begin feeling the softness of the bedding around him.

"I just wanna know if he's all right…", that was Prompto, he knew. Someone was holding his hand— that reminded him of his father, a long, long time ago. He squeezed, not altogether sure of how much strength he was using. In truth, it was a considerable movement, and a rush of breath next to him was a sure signal that somebody had felt it.

"Noct? Noct? Hey buddy, you awake? …Open your eyes man…"

Well, that wouldn't be so bad, as long as they weren't expecting him to get up. He couldn't remember where they were camped at… His lashes brushed his cheeks as his eyes drifted slowly open. He was greeted by the sight of his three friends crowded above him, and for once the lack of personal space didn't frighten him. Ignis let out a shaky sigh of relief, and pushed his glasses up his nose with a trembling hand. Gladiolus looked somewhere between furiously worried and kept touching his neck. _Checking my pulse?_ He wondered about it, before a few fragments of memory came back to him. Deadeye. The last explosion. _Gentiana?_

"Noct! I am so sorry- I'm so sorry man. I totally thought you were warping out of there, if I'd known-", Prompto's voice choked off into a tight little noise of pain, and Noctis realized his friend's blue eyes were full of tears and red.

 _Like Gladio's_.

"Hey", his voice came out air-thin and quiet, "no big deal... I'm alive."

Gladiolus's hand moved from his neck and rested heavy, though comfortingly so, on his chest as the big man struggled to laugh through his own upset. "You moron. We almost lost you, that's a big fucking deal. You idiot."

Ignis put a hand on Noctis's forehead, as if checking his temperature.

"He's right. We… We thought you were gone, your highness. It was a very near thing… I don't know how you managed to pull through", the last of his words were overcome with the thick pull of emotion, and the elementist had to sniff most uncharmingly as he petted Noctis's hair back. "We'll figure that out later though. Right now… Right now you just need to rest. Does anything hurt?"

Prompto shifted, as if ready to leap up and grab something to sooth the prince's pain. But there was none.

"I'm fine… Just… You guys relax." He hated seeing them all like this. It was, frankly, disorienting and frightening. He'd never seen them all so upset, and especially not all at once. He didn't like it.

"Rest then. In the morning we will talk", Ignis said, and tucked a blanket, _blanket?_ , up to Noctis's chin. Gladiolus sighed and had to move his hand away, but landed it back down over the fabric soon enough. Noctis was starting to drift off again when he realized that Prompto never let go of his hand.

He squeezed again. Everything was fine.


	3. The Mercy of Gods ptI

"Gladdy!", Gladiolus grinned when he saw Iris running down the entry stairs of the Leville to greet them, though he didn't move from Noctis's side. It was a little too soon after the Deadeye hunt for him to be comfortable having the prince more than a few feet away from him. That whole event had shaken the group. Gladiolus couldn't get the ghostly feeling of Noct's lifeless body in his arms to disappear, and couldn't forget the way Prompto had started shaking, pawing desperately at their friend's shoulder while he clutched his hand and called after him, as if their voices could summon him back from the grasp of death.

" _Damnit- Don't do this! Don't-", he couldn't get their prince to breathe. Noctis wasn't hearing his words, his eyes far away from the moment of his death. Gladiolus's heart beat hard against his ribcage, shaking his entire body with the force of each terrified thump._

" _S-Save him- Ignis- Gladio please I didn't mean- I didn't-"_

 _Prompto shook the prince, and Ignis hissed out for him to stop. Gladiolus couldn't leave Noctis like this, couldn't let him slowly die of oxygen deprivation. He knew what to do, of course, but it took him a moment to realize that potions and magic weren't going to fix Noctis this time. The prince's life depended on them, had always depended on them. And they had_ _ **failed**_ _._

"Iris", Gladiolus replied as she got to them, taking a few deep breaths to tame his heartbeat. Noctis was fine. Tired as all get out, but fine. Somehow. They still hadn't talked about it because of Ignis's insistence that the prince rest, so the last couple days they had spent on the move to Lestallum and in motels. Noctis slept almost the entire time, and was unnaturally chilled throughout the trip. Even now, when Gladiolus reached out to steady him, or maybe to steady himself, he felt his finger-tips cool against Noctis's clothed shoulder. The prince glanced back at him in question, and Gladiolus responded with a tight smile.

The expression turned to a hard frown as Prompto edged into view, offering a wan little smile to his sister that Gladiolus did _not_ appreciate. He still wanted to beat the blond for the mishap with the Fira, an accident that had consequences all too deadly. The only thing preventing an altercation had been Ignis, continually pointing out that Noctis needed peace amongst them to recover.

"Look at you guys, holding your own out there! I heard that you've been making a name for yourselves around the hunters", Iris said, much to the entire party's distress. None of them wanted to think too much on their last hunt. Prompto rubbed his bangled wrist as he released a shaky laugh.

"Uh, yeah. Guess we have. You look good!", his change in topic sounded far more enthusiastic, and Gladiolus would have said something about it if he hadn't wanted the topic changed too. And really, if you catered to anything Iris was interested in, she wasn't hard to distract. Those interests were namely herself, Noctis, any of the many hobbies she'd gone through, and anything related to those weird Moogle dolls she liked. Gladiolus vaguely remembered a Crown-City cartoon about them.

A privileged existence they'd lived in Crown-City. He hadn't seen so much as a television since they got beyond the wall.

Apparently Prompto's comment wasn't worthy of his sister's notice— _good!_ — and she turned her eyes onto Noctis… Gladiolus could have groaned when her eyes sharpened. Right. _Noctis_. "Noct? Hey- what happened? You don't look so good", she said in concern and eased up to the prince.

Noctis got that typical picked-up cat expression and stepped back, twitching when the action pressed Gladiolus's hand entirely to his shoulder blade. Ignis was rather quick to pull the Shield back, and he appreciated it. While Noctis wasn't as prone to flinching when he felt so crappy, Gladiolus was seeing more and more often a look of unease when any hand strayed near him. He _had_ to figure out what was up with that.

"Nothin', just tired", Noctis said, and looked around as a rumble shook the earth beneath them, causing glasses in a nearby restaurant to clatter loudly. It didn't last long, and wasn't too powerful. Gladiolus faced the prince more directly as he winced, and felt a jolt of anxiety when Noctis held his head, fingers sliding through dark strands of hair as if the tugs would ground him again.

"What was- Noct?", Prompto sounded almost frantic again in concern, and turned to duck down, checking on the royal's expression.

"I'm- I'm fine", Noctis said, shaking his head with a wince to throw off the last of the pain.

"What's wrong?", Ignis asked, his eyes sharp behind his glasses.

"My uh… My head just started throbbing", the response made Gladiolus nervous. There were so many unknowns going on, he didn't want to think about another problem cropping up.

"You alright?", Prompto asked again, straightening. His eyes were searching for every line of pain on Noctis's face, much like the others were doing. The prince shrugged him off, saying that he was fine, but Gladiolus damn well knew he was _not_ fine. He looked awfully distracted.

"Well… We can catch up, Iris, while Noctis has a break", Gladiolus said as he turned his attention back to his sister. He needed to know how she was doing after the fall of Insomnia… She had been in the middle of it all. And she probably had news of their father. It would also keep her off of Noctis's tail.

"I'll be off to replenish our supplies, if Prompto will stay with Noctis", Ignis added on, glancing between members of the group. The idea of leaving Noctis in Prompto's care wasn't very appealing to Gladiolus, but he'd deal with it. He needed to see to Iris. Besides, there wasn't much they could get up to in a safe hotel room.

"Sure", Prompto said, nervously subdued. He offered a hand to grab some of their gear from Gladiolus, who handed it to him roughly. The hurt look was almost enough to make the Shield regretful but… It was Prompto's fault that Noctis got hurt. If he hadn't thrown the damned Fira early… _But then I should have stopped him._

Prompto and Noctis got into the Leville, and Gladiolus let Iris take him on a tour of the city. She seemed alright, in cheerful spirits. The city itself was a refreshing sight, far more urbanized than any of the outposts they had been to. Plenty of lost shit to pick up too.

"So… What happened to Noct?", she asked, leading him through the many alleys that had already gotten him turned around. Usually he was on his game in the city, but maybe it had been too long. _Prefer the country anyway, though._

"He got hurt in the last hunt we did", Gladiolus shared, a little reluctantly as they pulled out near the power plant. Interesting place, and kind of ominous too.

"I thought he was okay?", he could hear the plaintive tone in her voice that drove him crazy. He adored his sister beyond belief, but he could also acknowledge that she'd grown up with too much leisure and too few responsibilities. It had made her a bit spoiled. _A bit_. Which was why he could never see her and Noctis working out— never mind the whole betrothed thing. That in and of itself was a can of worms he wasn't too eager to bring up around her.

"Yeah, he's good. Don't worry about him. He's tougher than he looks."

Iris laughed, and led him out of the alley and into the market. "Yeah, I know. He _did_ carry me all the way home when we were kids. You remember?"

Gladiolus huffed out a laugh.

"I remember! Geez, you scared me that day. And I was so mad at Noctis later."

"You're _always_ mad at Noctis! Remember when it was his birthday and we all got a surprise party ready and you couldn't get him out of bed to come?", the first comment bothered him a little, but the memory made him snort. "Gods yeah, he could really sleep. Even when he was little. I remember the King…", he trailed off, realizing his mistake in mentioning it.

The air grew a little morose despite the liveliness of the market, and Iris slowly set down a cactuar model she had been handling. Her quietness made Gladiolus sigh.

"Did… Dad?"

"No."

She turned away from him and walked towards the end of the market, an air of upset trailing after her. Gladiolus stood there unmoving for a long minute as the truth sunk in. His dad was dead. His father, brave and loyal, had died trying to protect Regis. In the end he had died for nothing. The King was dead.

It left a sour taste in his mouth.

If Noctis died, everything he had ever done… All of his life would have been spent for nothing. And if he died before Noctis, he wouldn't be there to protect him. He would have failed in that way too.

 _There's no way to win at this_ , he thought bitterly, _we can't live forever…_

But he had to try. He couldn't just give up and leave. What would he do? It was unthinkable. Noctis wasn't just his charge, he was his friend. And he couldn't abandon him. Not when they were in the middle of a war, not when they were old and gray.

 _I'll make you proud, Dad._

He hurried to catch up with Iris.

* * *

"Hey, Noctis? Could I uh… I just… Agh, I'm really sorry", Prompto said, rubbing his face as he stood in the doorway of their hotel room. Noctis sat on what he would claim as his bed for the night. "I'm can't get my words straight", Prompto laughed self-deprecatingly, "but I guess that's not the only think I suck at…"

Noctis grimaced, hating to hear Prompto talk like that. As the most cheerful of the group it was painful to see him so down. The prince stood and closed the door as the sharp-shooter set their bags down.

"Prom… Everything's okay", Noctis said quietly, more open in his expressions than he ever was with the others. Prompto smiled a bit, his eyes wet as he hesitated to go near the prince.

"It's… It's really not", the blond said, clutching at his wrist and bringing his arms up to his chest, "I killed you." His shoulders bowed, muscles tight as he breathed in shakily.

"I'm alive aren't I?", Noctis said, and slowly stretched his arm out, chilled hand resting on Prompto's shoulder. The civilian shuddered. _Maybe not a great idea_ , Noctis thought, and started to pull his hand back. But Prompto shot his own hand out and grabbed his fingers, cradling them in his palm until his other hand covered them. Warming them up.

"I don't know how", he whispered to Noctis, squeezing his hand, "you… Gladio and Ignis were doing everything they could for you and all I could do… I'm not any good for you. Everyone back at the Crown City used to say that I was a bad influence, and now even the guys…"

Prompto's skin had lost all color, making his freckles stand out all the more prominently. The red in his eyes was bright against dingy blues of the walls. When he caught Noctis's gaze, he looked down fast.

"It wasn't your fault", Noctis said strongly, his voice caught in emotion. He rose his other hand to settle it over Prompto's and his own.

"But-"

"It wasn't. You threw it, but you didn't know I wasn't out until after."

"I should have known!", Prompto cried, the feelings welling up inside him far too much to contain. The prince could see just how extensively this was effecting him. The air around them was charged, but the camera-man's body seemed tired. The stress had been getting to him.

"It was an accident", Noctis said sharply, not willing to let the guilt consume his friend, "and I forgive you for it!"

Prompto went tense, his eyes wide and searching, and then finally the tears ran over his eyelids. Noctis tugged him forward into a tight hug, and felt thin arms wrap fast around his shoulders. His own were sure as he squeezed the blond.

"I thought you hated being touched?", Prompto sniffled against his shoulder, head bowed and tucked against Noctis's high jacket collar. The prince couldn't feel the tears but he knew they were there.

"I can make an exception for you this time", the dark haired man replied, almost casually, and brought a laugh from the shorter man.

"Why is that, anyway?", Prompto's voice was hesitant, and Noctis appreciated his carefulness. He knew most of the group had noticed.

"Just some dreams I've been having", he said softly, and felt Prompto stiffen.

"Like… Like someone's hurting you?", he wanted to protect Noctis from even his dreams, and that made the royal's heart warm. He had good friends.

"Yeah. It's… Honestly kind of confusing. I never know what's going on." And there was always fire. But he wasn't going to mention that right now. "Someone grabs me and it just hurts. Like Hell."

Prompto squeezed him reassuringly.

"Yeah, well no one's going to go around manhandling the prince if I've got anything to say about it!", Prompto pulled back, a bit loathing of parting, and wiped his eyes with a laugh. The sight made Noctis's face gentle.

"Hey, Snapshot."

Prompto pulled his hands away in surprise and looked at him.

"You're my best friend. And I kind of like you. So don't hate yourself- royal orders."

Prompto laughed and grinned, giving him a casual salute.

"Yes Sir, Your Highness!"

* * *

Gladiolus spent an hour or so roaming the city with Iris, letting her talk about what she'd been up to. She liked the city, and after stopping to chat with some of the inhabitants it was warming up to him too. He could see them hanging around for a while until they got their baring and made a plan to get to Altissia.

 _Wonder if the marriage is still on?_

He was never a hundred percent certain of Noctis's view on it. They all teased, and the prince seemed happy with it, but sometimes he scowled. And scowled _hard_. There was no mistaking that face, something about the whole thing was rubbing him wrong.

"We'd better get back", Gladiolus said at a pause in Iris's comments about the roles of women in the town. It was strange to see women doing all the work, and why only women at that? Unusual. Not bad though. Some of the muscles on these gals… They weren't like the girls from Insomnia, all petite and gentle. Gladiolus had an idea of what would happen if he went to bed with one of them, and he _liked_ it.

"Yeah, I guess. Hey, Gladdy? Can I hang out in you guys' room?", much as her puppy eyes made him want to cave, there were some things they needed to sort out now that Noctis was managing to stay awake and lucid. Being so tired you missed entire sentences didn't count as mentally present.

"Ahh, maybe later. We still need to see Jared and Talcott, so if you could bring them by in a while…?"

She pursed her lips, but then smiled and nodded, her short dark brown hair bobbing with the motion.

"Alright, I'll do that."

And with that they were on their way, Gladiolus paying the bill for their lunch and mildly cringing at the expense. Holy crap. How was she eating out at places like this?

It then occurred to him that maybe she could actually use her bank account from back home. Something to investigate. He was more familiar with the area on their way back and focused on committing landmarks to memory. Inside the Leville was quiet, and he parted with Iris to enter their room. He immediately spotted Noctis asleep on the bed, and Prompto was lounging next to him, sharing a pillow, tapping away at his phone.

The sight made Gladiolus irrationally angry.

"Get off of his bed", he said, lips pressed together and stare piercing. Prompto paused and looked at him, his expression falling.

"Uh… Sorry. We just… We were trading on King's Knight before he fell asleep and I wanted to see…", he apparently realized that providing an explanation would do him no favors, so he got up and moved to another bed. Gladiolus nodded sharply in approval and moved to kneel at Noctis's bedside.

He was surprised to see blue eyes open and stare him down.

"Uh… Hey sleeping beauty", he said. _Shit. I woke him up._

"Hey, territorial dragon. What am I, your captured virgin?", Noctis quirked his lips into a sleepy smirk, and even Prompto grinned. Gladiolus snickered and stood up. Noctis was fine if he was making jokes.

"You're half right", he shot back, and Prompto hissed.

"Ouch, that's his royal highness there you're talking to", he laughed.

Noctis reluctantly sat up, taking a moment to yawn and slouch forward. The tall man patted him on the back, making him jump. Gladiolus got a little more serious at that, but when he saw Prompto shake his head he let it go.

"Your temp is coming back up. Finally."

"Maybe the body heat helped?", Prompto queried thoughtfully, provoking a considering look from Noctis. Gladiolus wondered about it. Maybe not all that farfetched. Something to talk about with Ignis… Speaking of the formal man…

"Where's Ignis?", he asked. There was no sign of him.

"He did say he was going grocery shopping. Think he got lost?", Prompto asked, hopping up to go peer out the window. The light did the room some good, made it less dreary and less likely for Noctis to sleep until nightfall.

"Nah, I went all over town. Didn't see him."

Gladiolus flipped his phone out to give him a call, which was, in customary Ignis fashion, answered within seconds.

" _Something wrong?_ "

"Yeah, you've been gone for forever. Where are you?"

A pause, a metallic sound in the background. Was he at the weapons shop?

" _I'll be along shortly. No need to worry._ "

"Uh… Alright. See you in a bit."

The tall man scratched his head as he hung up and looked at his phone. That was unusual, especially when Noctis had recently been hurt. Ignis turned into a mother cave bear any time their charge was hurt. He'd done that since they were kids, back when Gladiolus thought he was such a pro with a sword, knocking poor Noctis around. Reflecting on that, maybe he was a bit of a bully to the prince during training. _Whoops_.

"Said he's on the way soon", he said to the expectant other two. He wasn't happy with Prompto still, but they were a small group and they had to be around each other. And they were friends.

It helped that Noctis wasn't still hurt.

"O-kaaay? He needs to hurry up. I'm starving", Prompto complained, plopping into a lounge chair in the corner and drawing his ankle up over one knee. Noctis groaned.

"You must be dying over there, huh dragon?", he muttered, one blue eye visible as he flopped back over, head at the foot end of the bed. The other was covered by shaggy black hair. He needed a haircut.

"Ah… Yeah, I ate", Gladiolus said, a touch guilty but plenty humored by the sudden indignation on their faces. Oh yes, he wouldn't change things. And that sure made Noctis sit up quick.

" _What?_ When?"

"Why didn't you bring us anything?", Prompto cried, clutching his phone. Probably wishing he could call in for delivery like in Insomnia.

"Because I was out with my sister, and I wanted to treat her. Last I checked, you weren't my sister", Gladiolus said to Prompto, laughing, and sat on a bed reflected on the other wall from Noctis's. "Why don't you go send your shining knight over there after some grub?", he jerked his head at Prompto, eyes on Noctis. The prince sighed and glanced at Prompto, eyes wide and blue and too adorable for Gladiolus to acknowledge.

"Okay! Okay! Sheesh- That look shouldn't be legal. Back in a jiffy!", Prompto hopped up, smiling brightly, and left the room.

 _Finally, some time alone with Noct._

There were some things he needed to get to the bottom of.

"So. How you feeling?", he asked, leaning his elbows onto his knees to watch Noctis. His black hair drifted as he shrugged in response, and his easy expression grew a bit more solemn. Why couldn't he keep that relaxedness without Prompto around? It made Gladiolus worry that he'd done something. Done something, missed something, and that was why Noctis flinched and tensed up around him.

"Alright", the prince supplied, stretching his arms back behind him to lay his hands flat on the bed. Gladiolus noted that he was tracing the patterns on the wallpaper with his eyes. The wallpaper wasn't even that interesting, unless Noctis found the dinginess of it intriguing.

"Good… I wanted to talk to you about something." That made Noctis look at him in question, and Gladiolus was glad to see no fear or anxiety in his gaze. "I haven't brought it up because the others have been checking me each time, but what's up with the flinching? You wouldn't answer me about it before."

On the night he woke up and nearly had a heart attack because Noctis was missing and could apparently see in the damn dark. And Ignis had let him run around like a moron when he must have known exactly where the prince was.

The inquiry made Noctis sigh, and turn away a bit. Always turning from conflict. Really, he was a pacifist… Or at least, he usually was. Sometimes he surprised Gladiolus.

"It's just nightmares", he said, unbeknownst to the Shield that the irritation came from being asked twice in one day. Obviously, he didn't want to talk about it. Gladiolus could see why.

"Again? I thought we went over this last time. Nightmares aren't real."

The statement made Noctis still, made even the air around him still as a conflicted, faraway look crossed his face. Gladiolus's brows dropped and he leaned forward.

"Sometimes they are", he said quietly, and his brow furrowed rather suddenly as a contemplative look crossed his face. Whatever it was that caught his attention went without comment because Prompto's voice cut through the air in glee.

"Surprise! I found Ignis! And he has lunch!", the door burst open. The pleasant aroma of sandwiches and something sweet drifted in, and the two entered with each carrying a tray and a bag of food.

"More like I found him, racking up a monumental order at a local eatery that I quickly canceled", Ignis said dryly. He placed the bag down first, and then pulled the lid off of the tray. Gladiolus recognized the little pastries there, and felt a smile tug at his lips despite his curiosity over Noctis's expression. _So he was cooking. Of course._

Prompto passed out the sandwiches, purposefully passing up Gladiolus, who retaliated by stealing the gunner's plate. Prompto let out a cry which Ignis quickly smothered by handing him another plate. The man was, it seemed, done for the day and not willing to put up with their shenanigans.

Noctis took his food gratefully, and chewed thoughtfully. Ignis handed Gladiolus a plate with one of the sweets, and he raised it to try the latest experiment.

"Close", the prince said in surprise, "really close. It just tastes… Not quite right."

Ignis hummed.

"Alright then. I'll keep hold of the recipe and make some adjustments."

The group had long enough to eat and take individual showers while Prompto was sent on clothing duty before Iris showed up again, this time with Jared and Talcott in tow. Gladiolus smiled fondly at the Amicitia family butler and the little tyke, who was honestly one of the sweetest and intelligent kids he had ever known.

 _Noct was like that, but not really as friendly._

"Hey kid", Gladiolus said, hands on his hips, "Man is it good to see you two."

Talcott smiled and jumped forward at the sight of Noctis, throwing a chest salute up that made Gladiolus burn with pride. Good kid.

"Prince Noctis! Iris is safe with me!", Talcott said, draw a laugh from the girl some feet away. It amused Gladiolus. Jared, it seemed, was more embarrassed by the casualness. As their family butler for decades the eldest Amicitia could understand. He'd been drenched in royal protocol for ages.

"Please excuse my grandson", he said, reassuring the boy with an arm around him while apologizing to the prince, "he has yet to learn his manners."

"Eh, I like it", Noctis said, looking happy with Talcott's casual manner. Gladiolus glanced at him, not surprised, and happy to see such easy care on the prince's face. Always was good with kids, even as a kid.

"Your highness is very kind", there was a smile on the old man's lips now as he gave a slight bow, "but we shan't impose."

Talcott eagerly looked from his grandfather to Noctis again.

"A very good night to you…", he must have remembered what his grandfather just said about manners, because not more than a half second after added "your highness!"

Jared gave another bow and escorted them out of the room while Iris shut the door. The group moved to take seated positions, the two leather armchairs in the room taken by his sister and the prince.

"Iris?", Noctis said, leaned forward and fingers woven together as he looked at her, "…What was it like, inside the City?"

"Not pretty", she replied, a certain kind of weight coming on to her expression. Obviously, she was remembering. Gladiolus wished he had been there to ensure her safety and shield her from the tragedies she must have seen.

"The Citadel took a beating", her voice ached with grief, but she tried for optimism in her next statement. "But a lot of the outlying neighborhoods made it out in one piece…" The sorrow couldn't be cast off of her expression even as she tried to look on the brighter side.

Ignis was looking at the floor when he spoke.

"The empire had tactical targets in mind."

Iris, apparently, wished to think of other things. Gladiolus couldn't blame her, and wasn't surprised when she looked to Noctis. He _was_ surprised when she raised her hand to her chest in a heartfelt way. Awful close to a salute.

"You know if there's _anything_ else, you can ask me", she said earnestly, making Noctis straighten in surprise. It was almost funny seeing him go so stiff. Usually he was slumped over with sleep.

"Yeah uh… Thanks", he dipped his head in a nod that Gladiolus found strangely heartfelt.

The somber air returned quickly, and Gladiolus looked down, catching Prompto do the same. He'd also caught him looking awfully put out that Talcott didn't say goodbye to him too— Gladiolus would admit that the blond was usually the first to humor the kid.

Iris cleared her throat in a way that failed to catch the Shield's attention, but Noctis apparently read something from it.

"Uh, what?"

His sister's face had gone all sad again. Whatever was coming…

"About… Lady Lunafreya… I keep hearing she was in town", Noctis leaned forward, inhaling sharply as his eyes focused hard on Iris.

"Apparently she left right away, but, at least that means she's okay", Iris continued on, faster, catching the sudden worry that filled the room. They had all heard that Lady Lunafreya was dead on the radio so her statement had at first seemed a confirmation.

 _Why couldn't she start with that?_

Ignis was watching Iris with as much contemplation as the man possessed, and Prompto was watching Noctis, who exhaled the breath he had drawn in and held, tension leaving his expression. The prince bowed his head, eyes closing in obvious relief.

He lifted it again fast, eyes brighter.

"Good to hear", a smile brought color to his pale cheeks, "thanks."

Iris's own smile reassured Gladiolus that maybe she wasn't too terribly upset about the marriage.

"Yeah well, get a good night's rest!", and there she left, leaving the men to their thoughts and Gladiolus to wonder about their future's and what Altissia would bring.

* * *

"Morning sleepyhead!"

Oh no. Of course she would be the only one around.

"Mornin'… Where is everyone?", Noctis asked, still drowsy from sleep and wishing he was back in bed. Especially now.

"Oh, they're out walking with Talcott", she said, looking around in her way of ceaseless energy. It was too much for him to be honest. "They went to see the sights, we should too!"

She looked way too happy at the idea for him to say no.

"Sure, why not?", it wouldn't be so bad. He was engaged. She knew he was engaged. And she was his best friend's sister— she had to know he wouldn't go there. Code of Honor and all that.

She pumped her arms in victory, face lighting up.

"Great! I'll show you around!"

As it would turn out, the whole event was her attempt at a date and he would succeed in pissing her off. Way off. They returned to hotel not long after, and she stormed in, though stopped as they came face to face with the rest of the group. He saw Gladiolus raise a brow and narrow his eyes. The prince shrugged, lifting his arms in an uncomfortable gesture which screamed _what could I do?_

Deciding not to play along with the date had been a trap if he ever saw one. Piss her off, piss Luna off? Or upset Luna. And that was _worse_. The only time he had sent a one-word reply to her in the journal, Umbra had growled at him upon returning and Luna had sent a very polite reply detailing how upset it made her that he couldn't make time for just a written response every few weeks.

"Hey! Look who's back!", Prompto said, grinning at Noctis's obvious discomfort. It was nice to see the prince thrown off once in a while.

"Talcott, go on and tell him what you told me."

Talcott was all bright smiles, thankfully, and nodded excitedly to Prompto.

"You got it!"

Jared, leaning on his cane, looked a little distressed.

"Oh come now, show some respect…"

"Woah, no need to respect me, I'm not royalty!", Prompto assured. Noctis felt a little bad for the butler, who was clearly stressing over the informality, but hoped their reassurances would help.

"So, there's this legend about a sword…"

The legend was rather interesting. A sword, hidden in a cave behind a waterfall? The group were on it after making sure Noctis was feeling alright. He was, and was eager to discover another Royal Arm. The drive there was roughly three hours, so the group had time to speculate, and Noctis had time to take a nap. Thirty minutes to the sight, Gladiolus woke him up.

"Hey, sleeping beauty, Ignis has been trying to talk to you", he said with good humor, and pulled his hand away from the prince's shoulder. Noctis grunted in question and straightened from his slumped position against the Regalia's frame.

He met Ignis's eyes in the rear-view mirror, and decided to ask properly.

"Uh, what's up?", he asked.

"We're almost there, and I wanted to give you time to rest before asking… But before… Have you any idea what saved you when you were hurt?", Ignis asked, and Noctis felt his muscles loosen as he looked down.

"Yeah, kinda", he said, fingers fiddling on his lap as he looked back up.

"It was Gentiana."

" _What_?", Prompto twisted around in his seat, " _Her?_ "

His jaw had dropped, and the others both looked surprised as well. No one had expected that answer.

"That… Is unexpected", Ignis said, clearly puzzled.

"It's unsettling is what it is", Gladiolus interjected, "I never saw her."

Noctis blinked and turned to look at the big man.

"What? She was right there by my head… You didn't see her?", the troubled look his Shield wore was enough of an answer.

"Did _any_ of you see her?"

"No way dude. Are you sure…?"

Noctis nodded, and Ignis hummed in thought.

"Well, she _is_ a Messenger of some sort. Perhaps the Gods truly are on your side…"

It was something to think about, and kept the entire group silent as they continued on to the cave. The Gods… Why did it feel as if he was forgetting something important? Noctis had heard his share of tales, believed in them as his father did, though he knew Gladiolus didn't and Ignis was torn.

"Are the Gods really real?", Prompto asked as they made their way along the river bank not too long later. He kicked some pebbles and looked at Noctis curiously. Noctis was of course the one to ask.

"Yeah", he said, though the other dark haired member of the group scoffed.

"I doubt it", he said, but there was a little look of conflict in his eyes now. It probably had something to do with the Deadeye hunt.

"One says one thing, the other says another", Prompto sighed in amusement. Noctis was glad someone found it funny.

"Ha ha", Gladiolus said dryly.

After running from a _giant fucking snake_ and killing some Shieldshears, the entrance to the legendary cave… Really wasn't that hard to locate.

"I expected more difficulty", Ignis muttered in disbelief. Gladiolus grunted in agreement.

"Hey, Gladio, I bet there's some tough bastard in here just waiting for us", Noctis shot off, and for the hell of it, Gladiolus replied.

"I bet there isn't."

As it would turn out, there were _imps_.

"Agh! I'm done! I'm done, so done!", Prompto cried an hour later, collapsing onto an ice mound before shooting up again. He let out a false groan of agony at the cold.

"We are in quite a predicament", Ignis sighed, gazing around them at the ice they could see. The cave was pitch black, reflective, and hellish to navigate. They were all half frozen— especially Gladiolus, who had forgone a shirt yet again. They had gone through several groups of imps, the horrid little daemons, to Arachne, and one Ronin that had scared the _shit_ out of them. With no mouth and a hit range of almost eleven feet, they had an event taking him down and they were terrified doing it.

 _I never want to run into one of them again. Ever._

Gladiolus bent, pressing his hands to his knees to take a breather. He checked on Noctis, who had gotten _speared_ by the Ronin much to their terror. Somehow it had missed everything vital and a potion had taken care of it.

Still, it scared the hell out of them, and he was sticking closer to Noctis.

"Thanks", he grumbled, and the prince looked up with wide eyes.

"For getting the thing off my back. But if you ever get yourself skewered for me again, I'll pack you in a suitcase and send you to Cor", he growled. Noctis pulled his hands up into a pose of innocence, but accepted the thanks and threat.

"So… What now?", the prince asked, sighing as he looked around again. They had been in this part of the cavern before. Though the daemons had dissolved, the marks of their battle hadn't faded. It made for an eerie sight in the glow of their flashlights. It seemed like something should be there, something should be moving around the scene of so much action—

"To guide in darkness, blind of light, a King must trust in his true sight."

"AAAH!"

Prompto's scream reached epic proportions as Gentiana appeared before them between one blink and the next. She was shadowed as they all jumped, lights jumping around, before someone— Noctis— stilled enough that her faintly smiling face was visible again.

"How did- You did- What-"

Noctis stepped forward, and the panicked blond fell silent, breathing frantically next to Ignis, who had a hand clutching his chest. Gladiolus lowered the blade he had suddenly produced. What the _hell_ was she trying to do? Scare them to death? She'd fucking succeeded!

"Do you know how we can get out of here?", Noctis asked, and Gladiolus hoped he understood her message more than he had.

"Trust your sight. The Power of Gods is yours by right."

And in the next blink she was gone.

Ignis sighed in intense frustration. Gladiolus felt much the same way at her brief appearance.

" _Must_ she be so vague?", the advisor asked, his voice stressing his ire.

"But, the Power of Gods?", Prompto asked, hands flinging about, "Does anyone know what that is?! Noct?"

Noctis was befuddled. It was easy for Gladiolus to see that.

"So much for that", he said, aggravated, "back to the drawing board. Any ideas?"

They had none. They roamed around for a while longer, wearing out their energy, getting colder and colder as the anxiety of their lights running dead crept up. Eventually, they sat in the least icy spot they could find to rest, shivering. Noctis's lips had tinged blue, and it worried both of the older men that the smallest members of their group had both stopped complaining and shivering. It was a bad sign, Gladiolus knew, to stop shivering when it was so cold.

He was half frozen as well, body definitely numb. He couldn't feel his fingers or toes, and he was sure that if he let his eyes close for too long they would freeze shut. They threw a Fira to try and keep warm— but the only effect it had was to bring a shower of sharp icicles down on their heads, which they had narrowly avoided with the use of broadswords. The event had brought them all closer together, and they huddle against each other, sharing as much warmth as they could afford to give.

They were only supposed to rest for a few minutes.

Gladiolus didn't know when he closed his eyes.


	4. The Mercy of Gods ptII

The world was full of light when he opened his eyes.

It was captivating, the glitter of ice in the still air, floating gently, swayed by the slightest of breaths misting in front of his face. The particles were too sharp to be snowflakes, too small to be sleet. They glowed as if possessed with life themselves. Noctis raised his head slowly from where his cheek had rested on cold stone. All the ice around him seemed to shine with that light. But, like a dimming bulb before it flickers out, the light that shimmered over the bodies of his friends was dull.

"Guys-"

His voice rasped, half gone and struggling to get through his frozen throat. Still, he breathed out hard a warm puff of air that appeared in the air and shifted, breaking ice that had built up on his clothes. His hair was similarly iced over, but he didn't care so much. He just wanted, _needed_ , to wake his friends up. He reached Ignis first, and stretched his blue-tipped, numb, fingers to the man's shoulder.

"Ignis", he slipped on the ice, his knees sliding back, but kept his grip on the man. His head was bowed, inches from his advisor's chest, and he looked up with mouth slightly open, the proof that he was alive fogging the air even as he looked for the same thing coming from his friend. His fingers tightened, and his wide eyes peered through the shadows of his bangs until he saw it, faint and there, just like the light that Noctis knew and didn't know. The prince's heart beat in his chest as if it was lined with barbed wire, slicing his chest open with an anxiety that was only growing larger.

"Ignis!", he reached out with his other hand, now holding both of the man's shoulders. Ignis's lashes behind his glasses were frosted. "Wake up!"

Noctis shook him hard, and the man mumbled a questioning noise that was nearly as silent as Noctis's voice had been. Another hard shake and call of his name, and the brunette reluctantly opened his eyes. The hazel brown was a welcoming sight, and Noctis let go.

"Stay awake, the cold's getting to us", the prince said, his voice a little thick from it. More awareness came into Ignis's eyes, and he shifted slowly.

"Noc- Noctis", he coughed, breathed in deeply a few times, and shifted. His eyes roamed, but now that he was awake Noctis moved over to Prompto. Ignis remained where he was, catching his bearings and messing with his flashlight as Noctis crawled over his legs.

Noctis didn't know why, the cave was _glowing_.

"Prompto. Prompto, open your eyes!", he shook the blond, roughly. The sharpshooter had slumped down to lay on the ice, unlike Ignis who had been propped up with his back against an ice wall, and more like Noctis, who had tipped over to the side. It took a few minutes to rouse his friend, and a bit longer to convince him to stay awake, but by then Ignis was taking over.

"See to Gladio, I have Prompto", he had gotten his flashlight working, apparently, and it nearly blinded Noctis when he glanced at it. But he wasn't worried about that, instead he moved over to Gladiolus and grasped his shoulders.

"Gladio! Hey- Gladio!"

His Shield stirred quickest, as if called back to life by the prince's voice.

"Sh… Shit", he muttered, his chest heaving as he took in sudden breaths and raised his hands, flexing fingers that were probably as numb as Noctis's.

"Prompto? How ya doin'?", Gladiolus rumbled, seeing the small blond in Ignis's light only just starting to move around. Noctis moved back quick when they man straightened, their heads nearly colliding. Strange that Gladiolus didn't apologize, but there were more important things drawing their attention.

"…Fine", Prompto said, easily sounding exhausted. He was messing with his flashlight with slow and unsteady motions.

"Don't worry about it", Noctis said, "It's light enough without them."

There was a pause from Ignis, though Prompto only looked up at him in confusion and Gladiolus grunted in question. Noctis was taken off guard by their reactions.

"What?", he asked, and slowly eased to his feet. Gladiolus's light flashed on, and Noctis winced at the brightness.

"Noctis, it's utterly black in here", Ignis said as he too rose, helping Prompto to his feet. Gladiolus followed just a moment later.

"I can see you guys fine."

"You're the only one who can see then", Gladiolus grunted, "can you see a way out of here?"

Noctis took a moment to look around, but nothing caught his eye. He took a few testing steps and after determining that he was fine walking, if a bit clumsier than normal, stilled again not too far away.

"I'm going to go look around. Give me five minutes", he said.

"Wait-", Prompto's voice, small and quiet and heart wrenching, "What if you get lost?" He sounded upset, and likely was. All of them realized just how close they had come to never waking up again. If Noctis hadn't woken up… What a way to die that would have been, frozen in a legendary cave that no one would enter because of daemons and a cold unnatural to Eos. Nobody wanted to split up now.

"I'll be fine. You guys can work on getting my light going for Prompto", he handed it to Gladiolus, who was distinctly unhappy with how things were turning out. All of their minds were slowed by the cold, and physically they weren't much better.

"Be careful", the Shield said sternly, and Noctis waved him off as he disappeared out of their lights.

 _How can I see like this?_ Had this happened before? He thought back to nights that had seemed awfully bright to him, nights that held no shadows which could scare him. Maybe it had happened before, like the night Gladiolus found him alone. Nothing had been as bright as the cavern was though, no dancing particles of light that blew away with every breath and drifted right back. Maybe it was Gentiana's doing again, like when he had been hurt. He wondered how she had done that but it was likely the Gods had been involved.

He walked along the iced stone carefully, the movement good for warming his blood, and checked every route carefully. Gentiana wouldn't have left them in there if there wasn't a way out. Thankfully they had already cleared the area of daemon's and none had moved back in while they were asleep. It took some long minutes to walk the area, dazzled by what he could see. And then— he saw it. A ledge, just wide enough for everyone to cross on, but thin enough to make Noctis nervous.

The prince arrived back to find that his flashlight hadn't worked either, and the group of four only had the guidance of two lights and Noctis's sight.

 _Sight…_

"Any luck?", Gladiolus asked as soon as he heard the prince approaching. Prompto was doing slow squats to keep warm. Ignis had been waiting, quiet and tense.

"Yeah, I found a way. It'll be a little precarious but…"

"Precarious is better than no way at all", Ignis said, "lead on."

It wasn't too difficult for Gladiolus and Ignis to get across, but the problem of Prompto not having a light rose up pretty fast.

"Noct I… I don't really know about this", the gunner said uneasily. The ice was faintly illuminated by the others, but their lights were dim and sometimes flickering. The angle wasn't the best either.

"Uh… Okay, I'll go before you and tell you what's coming up. Stick close, alright?"

Prompto gave a shaky okay and took hold of Noctis's jacket at his waist, easing along with him.

"Alright, just a little bump and then the wall will curve… See Gladio's light?"

"Yeah", their friend seemed less afraid now, and once to safety he breathed deeply in relief and laughed. Noctis grinned and lead the group on, all of them tired but none of them willing to rest again. It wasn't until they had gone down several turns and another ledge that Noctis saw it— the tomb.

"Finally", Gladiolus growled, and moved closer… But Noctis grabbed his arm.

"Wait…", there was… Something strange about the wall…

"What is it?", Ignis questioned, his daggers appearing in his hands as he tried to see what Noctis could. The prince shifted uneasily. The light looked… Wrong. It was still bright, but the white and blue everything was coated in— that he had thought was light reflected off of ice— was dark, a sickly purple in color.

"What the hell…?"

Noctis inched forward, past Gladiolus, to get a closer look.

"Noct… Are you sure…?", Prompto tried to get him to stop, but that was no easy task. Gladiolus bristled.

"Highness, hold up", he said, reaching out as Noctis had done. Before Gladiolus got a grip on him, the prince stopped suddenly, raising a hand to his head. Like before in Lestallum it suddenly ached, his vision shaking with the pain of it.

" **King, you see before you the darkness' blight. Twisted life, your task: to end it with all the power you may grasp… The greatest chance in sacrifice.** "

"What…?", the ache lessened and he jerked his head up, twisting to look for Gentiana— he had recognized her voice.

But she wasn't there.

"Noct? What happened?" Ignis placed a hand on him and the black haired man breathed in fast to restrain a flinch. With everything happening to his head lately, his dreams of the hands and the fire had only gotten worse. There was a pressing urgency in them that he didn't know how to unravel when he could hardly remember them.

"Gentiana again. Just her voice though", he said, and eased back from the darkness… The blight. _Are those… Eyes, in it?_

"What did she say?", that was Gladiolus, his tone tense at all the strangeness occurring.

"She said uh… That the wall over there has a 'blight' and that the best way to deal with it is sacrifice." He didn't like the sound of that, and by the looks on their faces neither did they. Gladiolus crossed his arms.

"Sacrifice? Nuh uh. That doesn't sound right."

"I must say that I agree. She didn't mean you, did she?", Ignis asked. Prompto put his hands on his hips, biting his lower lip.

"I think so", Noctis replied to his advisor, and eyed the wall again, "Maybe it isn't as bad as it sounds?"

"But if it is, that will suck a hell of a lot. What's a blight anyway?", Prompto asked, sliding his hands up to rub his upper arms. His blue gaze was concerned, brows tucked down in worry.

"I believe it may refer to daemons", Ignis said, and tried to shine his light at the wall. It was too dim to reach, but they were unlikely to see anything until they were too close. Except for Noctis anyway.

"Well, we can handle daemons", Gladiolus clenched his hands. Noctis was sure that he was unwilling to let the prince bear the burden alone. _He's not always going to be able to handle trouble for me._

"Can we?", Noctis asked, because his three friends were running ragged. They were cold, exhausted, they had nothing left to give but their lives. He couldn't let them do that.

"Just let me try", even with Gladiolus's light shining into his sensitive eyes, his expression was pierced with determination. He could see his friends resisting the idea… But then Ignis nodded tightly. Prompto opened his mouth to protest, and the advisor raised a hand to silence him.

" _Once_ ", he strained, and narrowed his eyes at Noctis, who dipped his head in understanding.

Not knowing what the hell he was doing, but willing to do it to protect his friends, Noctis eased forward. The closer he got to the blight the more particles he noticed in the air, until even his friends could see the glow building around him. _What_ _ **is**_ _that?_ He couldn't quite tell, but… It almost seemed like… He glanced down at his arm and saw that every few seconds a bright spot on his arm, his hand, his fingers, would drift up and into the air. His eyes widened in realization. _They're coming from me._

He lifted his arm, and the particles in the air concentrated, focused into something like a ball but flowing too freely to be one. He spent a moment looking at it, glanced back at his worried friends, and made his decision.

He lobbed the ball at the wall.

"Agh-!", an abrupt tearing sensation somewhere deep inside him filled him with a sense of _wrongness_. He wasn't meant to part with those lights, those lights were something important—

The ball hit the blight and burst into a radiance that spread throughout the cavern, and the echoing shrieks of daemons both right in front of them and far away filled his ears. The world tipped over and all the light went dark, but he could still hear his friends and _fuck_ everything hurt, he couldn't see, _am I blind?!_

But then Gladiolus was right there and the dim shine of his flashlight was shining into Noctis's face. Not blind, but the magical sight had left him.

"You okay?!", the Shield grabbed him by an arm and Noctis literally didn't care because something was not right inside him anymore.

"Noct!", he felt himself shaken, and raised a hand to grasp Gladiolus's.

"No- I mean, yes but-"

He felt confused, because his body was fine, just tired and cold and perhaps aching a little more than before. Gladiolus hefted him up off of the ground and Noctis stood, stumbling a little, and held his head which ached at the sudden change in position. The ache stayed faintly there, just behind his eyes.

"We'll take a look at you once we're out. Let's get the damn sword and get out of here."

Prompto stuck right by the prince, tailing him closely to make sure he was alright.

The tomb was like all the others but for the impressive weapon, which was, in style with the weapons they had found, unique. No two had been the same so far. Noctis raised his hand and felt the draw as he always did, the tug at his soul… Only this time it hurt, and when the blade passed through him and into his care it stung bad enough to make him step back, a small sound leaving him. The others were quick to usher him back out and through the thankfully empty cavern, taking a route that led up and then to a drop that they recognized as close to the entrance and before the slides.

Finally, they were out. Prompto collapsed onto a rock warmed by the sun, thanking the bright circle in the sky loudly. A rest was definitely in order, and given that it looked about noon, they had been in there a full day. Ignis was just about to order them back to the car when Noctis's head proceeded from a dull ache to a full blown agony that had him bending at the waist, a hand jumping to his brow to grab tight to his hair.

"Aah- What-"

He was assaulted again by the image of that eye, strangely familiar to him but still so foreign. Landscape followed, sights he knew, but it was so hard to grasp in the middle of blinding hurt.

"Noct!"

Big arms keeping him up. He hadn't realized his knees gave out.

The headache wasn't ending.

"-go to Lestallum-"

"-the car-"

He felt the arms holding him up tighten, and felt the stability of the ground disappear, but there was little he could do about it. He tried to open his eyes to tell them to put him down, and he saw Gladiolus long enough to open his mouth before the _damn eye_ invaded his senses again. He could almost smell fire, heat like the scent of stone cooking in the sun, could almost feel the rage of something so much larger than him.

Then, a moment, just a moment of an image that struck him hard and called forth ancient memories of a time he had spent unconscious and guided by an Astral he didn't know. He'd seen the being before, and— _Carbuncle, I called him Carbuncle_ — he remembered the unknown Astral calling the fierce looking being a 'gentle giant.'

 _Not so gentle now!_

But apparently the memory was enough to appease the giant, because the headache dwindled and ceased, leaving him feeling too cold again and covered in sweat.

"Noct? Buddy?", he could smell leather, and opening his eyes he saw the inside of the Regalia. Prompto's wide blue eyes were watching him as the blond twisted in his seat.

"You awake?", the rumble of Gladiolus next to him. Ignis was watching in the mirror, his foot pressing the accelerator flat.

"Uh… Yeah", he said, and eased himself into a sitting position and out of Gladiolus's lap. Awkward.

The Shield grunted angrily.

"Good. I'm getting real sick of asking this, but what was that? These damn headaches aren't normal."

"I saw… I guess it was meteor… Everything was burning." That was strange to say. It was weird to be seeing things like that, even with all the weird stuff happening lately. Ignis made a sharp noise of question.

"Have you seen anything before this?", it was accusing, and it made Noctis wince. Right. He hadn't told them…

"Ah… Just an eye." Sounded even stranger.

Ignis sighed in aggravation.

"You've been having visions of what now appears to be Titan and haven't decided to enlighten us? Noctis…", the scolding made him cringe and feel defensive. But he was too worn out to argue that he didn't have to share every little thing with them. For once, Gladiolus came to his rescue.

"Let's just focus on getting back to Lestallum. We'll make a game plan once we've rested up."

The idea rang well with the entire group, who definitely needed some recovery. Even with the heater on full blast they felt a little chilled, and their numb bodies were tingling uncomfortably as blood flow returned to normal.

They needed a break before they tackled the next big thing coming their way.

 _Maybe I can convince them to go on a fishing trip for a day?_

The thought soothed something that was hurting deep inside him.


	5. The Will of Titan

With one fell swoop the fishing trip had moved to a halt, because standing at the end of the dock was the stranger from Galdin. That head of magenta hair stuck out vividly against the green and blue scenery, and the out of place clothing he wore would have caught their attention if it hadn't. Against the peaceful backdrop, there was something terribly unsettling about him. Gladiolus stuck himself between Noctis and the odd man again, suspicious and not willing to have another 'allowance' thrown at the prince. Or anything else.

How dare the man.

"Ohhh, hello. What a coincidence this is", the man said, in that tone that was far too drawn out and false, and Gladiolus didn't miss that he spoke before he turned to face them. He'd been _waiting_.

"Not sure it's such a coincidence", the Shield said and crossed his arms over his chest. The man gave him the creeps. Was he tailing them? For what purpose?

"Mm", the stranger chuckled, and moved slowly towards them, his gait containing a slinking quality that Gladiolus didn't like. Prompto jumped out of the man's way as he passed them and looked to the Disc, which they had decided they needed to get into. Only it was locked down under imperial control. With no way in and no answers yet, Noctis's suggestion for fishing had passed through the group easily and they had left Lestallum that morning.

"Aren't nursery rhymes curious things?", the man asked, his gaze locked on Noctis, who didn't twitch under it. When the man's eyes moved to focus on something else Gladiolus was proud to see Noctis check where his line of sight had gone before swiftly looking back.

 _How does he know about the Disc?_

And what the hell did he mean by nursery rhymes?

"From the deep, the Archaean calls…", chills swept over Gladiolus as he recognized the verse instantly. He'd forgotten it, but had heard in his childhood. The man didn't stop there though, and continued with the rest of the rhyme.

"Yet on deaf ears, the God's tongue falls… The King made to kneel, in pain, he crawls…"

"So how do we keep him on his feet?", Prompto's voice was too quick, showed too much emotion as he shot a panicked glance at Noctis. It told the man that the answer was important to them, and that made Gladiolus nervous. The guy's strange hair caught the light as he dipped his head.

Was that a smile?

If so, it was gone when he looked up, lowering his arm from the gesture he had made to the Disc. He walked past them, towards the road, and then turned back again.

"You need only heed the call. Visit the Archaean, hear his plea", his magenta hair caught the light as he dipped his head, a smile curling his face as he had a moment of pause.

"I can take you", he sounded far too eager for Gladiolus to feel comfortable with that, but he could practically feel Ignis thinking. There was just enough space between them and the man that Gladiolus felt somewhat comfortable conferring with the group.

"We in?", he wasn't happy with it, but he could see the opportunity it proved. The situation just left him anxious, lines of worry defined more clearly on his face. Noctis looked down at the boards under their feet, and his Shield felt a surge of worry. _Noct hasn't been looking so good since the cave._ Better, but after he 'purged the blight' with that light, he'd been out of energy for days.

"I don't know…"

"We take a ride…", Prompto started, encouraging the prince, and Gladiolus spoke up in caution.

"But watch our backs."

"Fair enough", Ignis said, but Gladiolus could see the carefulness in his eyes too.

The trip to the Disc was mostly uneventful, Noctis driving as he was elected by the man… Ardyn, he called himself. Gladiolus didn't recognize it and after conferring with Ignis, the advisor didn't either. Still, everyone made sure they were stocked up on hi-potions and elixers in the car, and they took the hour or so of privacy to speak without fear of Ardyn eavesdropping.

"Do you think he's a Messenger? Like Gentiana?", Prompto asked, turning in his seat to face Noctis. Gladiolus hadn't considered that. But could there be more than one?

Noctis looked surprised by it too.

"Uh… Well, I guess he could be?", he said.

Gladiolus snorted.

"Somehow I doubt that."

* * *

Getting through the imperial blockade into the Disc was so easy that as soon as they had drove through Noctis was wondering if they shouldn't turn back around. It felt like a trap, like he was being guided down a path he didn't want to take. But then… Ever since he was chosen by the crystal, he had felt like that. Like, somehow, his life was already determined and everyone expected him to walk to path laid out. It was his destiny.

 _I'm starting to think that my destiny isn't one I want._

But it was selfish of him to resist, wasn't it? It was his duty to follow the prophecy. His father had tasked him with saving Lucis, even if the crystal and the prophecy didn't matter. It continued to rub him the wrong way as they drove further in, all keeping a keen eye on the sky fearing an attack. They were in a place where escape would not be easy.

When they found the tomb, out in the open like it was, Noctis couldn't help but wonder how the royal arm was still there. Surely the empire knew he could gain power from using the weapons? Wouldn't they have tried to take as many as possible? It didn't make sense. And they hadn't even known there was a tomb in the Disc.

It all seemed awfully like bait.

"Would be a shame not to grab that power, eh, Highness?", apparently Gladiolus wasn't getting the same vibes, though he was looking around carefully when Noctis looked back.

"Let's grab it and go", the prince said warily.

Acquiring it went smoothly, though there was that sharpness again when it pierced him. Why were they beginning to hurt? His ancestor's weapons circled him, within his reach, reminding him of the duty he had. The power he controlled was for a purpose, and all of the weapons he now wielded had once been held by men and women who fought to ensure their family lived on until the Chosen One was selected. That had been him, when he was small.

The earth began to quake and the sound of shifting rock rang in the air along with a startled yelp from Prompto, who he heard hit the ground.

"Oh no- Again-"

"Noct!", there was worry in Gladiolus's voice, but it was the panic in Ignis's that threw Noctis off.

"Get away! Quickly!"

A voice broke through the air and struck the prince almost like a physical blow. His head! It drove him to his knees, but he lifted his head as the shaking ground trembled with falling rocks. The chaotic crashing suddenly sounded underneath them, and the sarcophagus in front of Noctis dropped out of sight suddenly. Noctis launched himself away from the falling earth, desperately, towards his friends who had stayed back. He saw the fright in their faces, Gladiolus's outstretched arm— the ground dropped out beneath him and he fell, a sensation that made his stomach lurch in terror. He hit sloping rock and slid, grabbing at the mountain side, his fingers catching in a futile effort to stop his descent. He didn't even think to call a weapon and warp, too distracted by his fall and the terror he felt in it. There was another ledge coming, would there be open air under him? He threw his arm up to try and grab something in a last ditch effort—

"Noct!", Gladiolus was right there! The Shield grabbed him by the arm, and Noctis felt his feet lose solidness beneath him.

"I gotcha!", the tattooed tank's brows were tight as he pulled Noctis up enough to grab hold of the edge, "Pull yourself up-"

Noctis collapsed on the stable rock, breathing hard, his head aching in pain. Gladiolus let go once he was safe and drew in his own breath. But the earth wasn't done shaking, and the rumble of movement was joined by the sight of the meteor rising.

"What the-?"

Noctis's eyes widened as he saw him, Titan. The giant's body was pierced with fragments of the meteor, silver blood contrasting his grey skin. White markings like battle paint ran their course over him, and his arms were upraised to hold the meteor. A single eye found Noctis, intense and red-orange over a grimacing mouth. The other eye was destroyed by the dark stone of the meteor.

Then Titan spoke, and the pain in his head grew even greater.

"Ugh- Titan?"

Gladiolus drew the prince back slowly, away from the drop he had narrowly fell from.

"Guess we woke him up…"

 _That's Luna's job_ , Noctis thought, and winced hard again.

"He's trying to tell me something", he grimaced, hissing in a pained breath, "Titan-?"

"Noct! You okay?!", Prompto's voice sounded far, and when Noctis looked up he realized just how far he had fallen in so quick a time. And for Gladiolus to catch him… The man must have jumped after him as soon as he fell. He'd need to remember to thank him.

"Thank Heavens", that was Ignis, a shadowed figure up beside Prompto, "Can you get back up?"

"I'm good!", he called back. His hands got roughed up and were shaking, but didn't hurt nearly as bad as his head. "There's a path down here but no way up! Gunna follow it!"

"You guys get down here!", Gladiolus shouted up, an order to get them back together.

"Very well, we'll find a way! Be careful!"

They were obviously not taking the massive slope down. Prompto was likely to trip, fall, and take both himself and Noctis over the edge. Feeling more at ease now that he could see Titan wasn't actively trying to hurt him and there appeared to be no waiting ambush, Noctis started down the trail.

"Noct! Stick close okay?"

"Having trouble keeping up?", he smirked, and Gladiolus rolled his eyes as he used his longer stride to catch up to the wayward prince.

"Very funny."

The humor didn't last long. The further they went the hotter the ground became, until their feet were burning up in their shoes and they were wiping sweat from their faces every minute or two. Noctis was reminded uncomfortably of when he nearly died in the explosion with Deadeye each time he took a breath.

And the fire…

He just kept picturing the hands. His nightmares were full of them— the same each time, gripping him so hard he thought he'd never breathe again. Like flames, which he felt the touch of in those dreams too.

The presence of Dynoaevis in the area only made their tempers flash with anxiety, neither having enough patience to deal with the creatures while in so much discomfort. The beasts weren't difficult to be rid of, but also didn't seem to want to attack, and so they moved cautiously through the area without drawing weapons. Moving slower meant more heat though, and by the time they had crossed both were in need of a breather. Preferably with cool air, but with none to be found they pressed on.

"Heh, this time I found it", Gladiolus said as they reached a cliff with a ledge leading to the rest of their path. It must have dropped off in the earthquake when Titan rose. "Be careful Noct."

"Just hurry", the prince said, voice tight with an irritation born of pain. He found it better to keep on the move than stop and linger on the hot stone. Gladiolus went first, unbeknownst to Noctis testing the strength of the stone as they went. Neither were prepared for the tremors that started up again, shaking all the earth around them and making their difficult positions even harder to keep.

And then Titan began to speak, and the pain doubled Noctis over dangerously.

"Again-?", Gladiolus, unnerved by the position, reached out to steady Noctis…

Who in the pain he was feeling, in the heat and the confusion of the voice thundering through his mind, jerked in panic at the approaching hand and the flames all around them. He slipped, his boot rubbing hard against the stone and emitting a squeak that nearly covered the startled breath leaving him. Gladiolus cried out, tried to grab him.

Their fingers skimmed each other, but the Shield grasped empty air and Noctis plummeted, out of his reach, and the prince tried, he stretched his fingers as far as they would go, but he was already falling away.

"NOCT!"

For a moment each thought that this was it, the moment that their luck, their efforts would all end, but then stone crashed and flew, and Titan's hand appeared. Noctis landed hard on the rough being's palm and lost his breath, but still he rolled onto his back and looked up at the huge Astral.

"Wha- woah!", Titan was moving him through the air, and though the big guy had looked like he was moving slow before, they were covering a _lot_ of ground very quickly. He could hear Gladiolus's yell only faintly.

In moments he was before the God, his palms pressed down to raise his torso. He didn't trust himself to stand.

"What do you want?!", he yelled, his hands clenching into fists. After being bludgeoned by the being's voice he wasn't happy with him. Didn't Titan know he couldn't understand? Apparently the God didn't care though, because he launched into speech now that he had Noctis captive. The God's voice was agonizing, especially so close, but something… More visions, but clearer, crossed from the Astral's voice and into Noctis's mind. They were piling on him and driving him down, as if building up inside him until finally something burst and his upper arm burned fiercely— later he would find a white band encircling his arm to crest in a point which rose towards his shoulder, facing out from his body, like those which adorned Titan's skin. The Mark of the Archaean. And then, with the blessing of the God bestowed:

 _Luna, standing before Titan, her trident in hand._

"You saw her?!", Noctis shouted out to the Astral, and quieted as Titan began to glow. The light spread up to the meteor, and Noctis knew, all of a sudden, what was about to happen.

"Wait! There's gotta be more-!"

Titan groaned, his eyes glowed as they fell on Noctis… And two last images were passed to him.

 _Ardyn, his features twisted and bleeding from eyes a wrathful shining orange, and lines of that same black blood dripping from his mouth._

 _Noctis, slumped on the Lucian throne, impaled on his father's sword, the breath of life absent from him._

And then Noctis really did fall.

* * *

"Catch him! Catch him!"

"Prompto _shut up_!"

Gladiolus was sprinting for all he was worth across the flat plain of stone, watching Noctis as his body dropped like deadweight from hundreds of feet up. Ignis was at his side and Prompto was lagging behind the taller men with his shorter stride.

 _How the fuck am I gunna-_

Imperial airships flew over the rim of the crater but he didn't give a flying shit. His prince was about to die by _falling_ and Gladiolus was sure he was going to hell for even scaring him off the edge and that was his _best friend_ how was he going to catch him-

He skidded to a stop beneath Noctis just as the prince was twenty feet above the ground, falling so fast. There was no way-

Noctis stopped, very suddenly, as if someone had caught him again. But there was no one Gladiolus or the others could see, and the prince drifted down, much slower, until he settled into the Shield's outstretched arms. Gladiolus immediately tightened his grip to bring the black haired man to his chest.

Noctis's eyes drifted open.

"…Gentiana…"

"No, Gladiolus", the Shield said, spooked by the daze in Noctis's eyes. Had Titan addled his brain? _God fuck-_

"No", Noctis's face screwed up, and he shifted, glanced around and became more alert as he saw where he was.

"Put me down- Gentiana caught me."

That was twice now she'd saved the prince's ass. The Shield stored that information away to dwell on unhappily later, because it was his job to protect Noctis and he sure felt like he was doing a shit job of it. He obeyed and eased Noctis onto his feet, surprised to see him so steady. Steadier than he'd been in a while.

"Headache is go- oof!"

Prompto collided with Noctis with a cry, taking them both to the ground, and Ignis reached down fast to help the royal up.

"I think he's had _quite_ enough of falling-"

"And meanwhile we need to get the hell out of here. There are imperial troops surrounding us…"

"Any ideas?", Noctis asked, drawing Engine Blade. MTs began to drop out of the sky, landing unnaturally stiff on the stone… Stone which was beginning to crack and shift, and under a whole troop magma burst forth.

"Run!", Ignis shouted, and the group took off towards the path the three had gotten down on. But the ground was beginning to quake and collapse, and the heat was rising.

"What do we do?", Prompto shouted, over the increasing noise of the distraught land, "How are we gunna-?"

The ships had stopped landing, except for one, which began to bear down on them. The squeeling metal grated in Gladiolus's ears as the mouth of the ship open…

And Ardyn was revealed inside.

"Fancy meeting you here!", he shouted as Prompto began to point in alarm, "It occurs to me I never formally introduced myself."

Noctis— wasn't looking at the man? Gladiolus watched him, saw the prince's fists go pale, saw his jaw tighten into a snarl. Why? What had happened? What did he know?

"Izunia! Ardyn Izunia!"

Gladiolus heard Ignis suck in a startled breath, though the advisor's expression remained steady. Was the man significant then?

"Imperial Chancellor Izunia?", though Ignis's glasses were being dirtied by soot filling the air, his gaze did not leave Ardyn as he called up tensely.

"At your service. And more importantly, to your aid!", he spread his arms grandly, and Gladiolus felt a shot of contempt through his confusion. Prompto was now the one looking down as Noctis looked up.

Gladiolus had never seen such anger in his gaze. Not even when he was told of his father's death. Not even when he struggled to deny his destiny.

"I guarantee your safe passage", Ardyn continued, "Though you're always welcome to take your chances down there."

The four men looked on, unwilling to trust the Chancellor but aware that their deaths were coming if they didn't take the offer. Noctis's eyes though— there was something very wrong, beyond that their savior would be a Nif bastard, a conspirator of the murder of King Regis. All eyes turned to the prince, and Ignis spoke.

"Dying here is not an option. We have no choice, Noct."

"I know!"

The shaking rage in his voice took them off guard, but the prince pulled his gaze away from Ardyn, who was smiling, and looked at the ground.

"I know", he repeated, quieter but his voice still strained with fury.

And so they climbed aboard their enemy's ship.


	6. Unwilling to Fall ptI

Noctis was thankful that Gladiolus put himself between him and Ardyn, because there was nothing he could do to make his tense expression ease out or stop his hands from fisting. That bastard was playing with them, had to be, because somehow he was involved with the prince _dying_. Dying had never been in the plans. There was a lot he wanted to live for, to experience. And Ardyn… Ardyn somehow led to his death.

Titan's warning was clear. The path he was walking led to his death. Things had to change.

"Relax…", it was Gladiolus speaking in as much of a whisper as he could, and Noctis realized that his breathing had picked up and his friends were looking at him in concern. He waved them off, not willing to explain what was bothering him with Ardyn ten feet away. He just wanted off of this damn ship.

"Now then, where would you like to be dropped off?", Ardyn asked casually. "Busy boys like you have many places to be, I know."

"Nearby is fine", Ignis said, and Noctis could hear him assuming the diplomatic role he had been trained to take on, "Our vehicle was parked far enough from the meteor that I don't believe it sustained any damage."

"Oh, I'm sure", there was something sly and amused in his voice that made Noctis so enraged that it almost physically hurt. He knew something they didn't, something that was definitely going to cause them trouble. Just another sign of how he was playing with them. Noctis took a step past Gladiolus, magic tingling against his hand as the urge to summon Hard Edge grew. Ardyn's eyes found him— and narrowed. A hand locked around his wrist, tight, and he met Gladiolus's stern gaze. His Shield shifted to block him from Ardyn again.

' _Keep it together_ ', the tank mouthed. Noctis's teeth hurt with how tightly wound he was, but he dropped his chin in a nod. Gladiolus was right, he couldn't attack right here— there was too much risk of hurting his friends and giving away that he knew Ardyn was a threat.

The ship set down outside of the Disc of Cauthess and the hull gate opened, revealing the bright expanse of Lucis to the five.

"I'll be seeing you soon Your Majesty", Ardyn said, and Noctis stiffened. Gladiolus put a hand on his back and urged him out, which wasn't all that hard for Noctis. He didn't want to be near the man anyway… If that vision was any indication, there was something very wrong with him. And if years from now he managed to kill Noctis…

 _I'm not ready for him yet_.

That stung, and when his feet touched down he turned to watch the hull close.

 _I_ _ **will**_ _defeat you._

And he wouldn't die doing it.

"What the hell was that?", his Shield asked and withdrew his hand. Noctis's expression tightened.

"Oh no man, you can't just do that", Prompto said as he eased closer, "you gotta tell us. What happened? He just helped us so-"

"He is _not_ helping us!"

Noctis turned on Prompto, who took a frightened step back when he saw the look in Noctis's eyes. The prince hadn't looked so angry since his father's death… And there was no grief to dull the rage this time.

"Highness, perhaps you should explain?", Ignis stated, reaching out a hand to ease Prompto back and out of the angry prince's space. Noctis's familiarity with magic had come a long way, but his control sometimes slipped when emotions ran high. Best to give him room and let him speak at his own pace. The area they were in was void of people and it was still daylight, though not for long. Night would have to wait for the royal to relieve himself of whatever burden he carried... They had all sensed their friend's emotions in that carrier. But the prince was not forthcoming, and turned his back on the three. It was too much to tell them, when they worked so hard to keep him alive. It would hurt them to know that, even in a vision, they had failed to protect him.

 _Killed as I sat the throne._

The bitter irony.

"Noct…", the gunner sounded hesitant, "How are we supposed to help if we don't know what's wrong?"

Noctis sighed in aggravation and ran his fingers through his hair roughly, pacing a few steps away. When he looked back at them he saw three mutual looks of concern. It didn't help them much either way… But telling them could help prevent it.

He just didn't want any of them to lose their lives over him.

"Titan showed me my death."

They all went stiff, and Prompto's expression dropped from concerned to pained. Gladiolus got angry— and Ignis became calculating.

"You were old and grey, right?", the tank asked, voice strained and loud.

Noctis smiled bitterly.

"No. I was older, but not by much. And I was on the throne." The statement made Gladiolus swear and turn, pacing like Noctis had done but with the energy of a raging Coeurl.

"Where was I?", he demanded, stopping just in front of Noctis.

"I don't know. I didn't see that." Gladiolus was almost trembling and it hit Noctis hard to see him so upset. The Shield was usually a wall of controlled emotion, not allowing any of his sorrows to be displayed in anything but anger. Noctis had seen him on the brink of losing it before, but this time he was conscious and clear minded enough to see the stress starting to build up on the big guy's shoulders.

"What else did you see?", Ignis stepped forward, his words as urgent as his expression. He needed to know more, needed to know every detail he could to prevent the death of one of his closest friends. It was more than his role as protector and advisor— Noctis had been his friend since childhood. He needed to know. He was closely followed by Prompto, who was definitely upset and feeling the failure. The blond worried incessantly if his own weakness, his own dark past, would play a role in the Noctis's death.

He was so scared that it would be his fault.

"It was dark. My dad's sword had me pinned to the back of the throne through my stomach. I didn't see any of you but…", Noctis trailed off, the image returning to him and raising the hairs on his arm.

Ignis's eyes narrowed.

"You saw Ardyn."

Gladiolus cursed and looked back up towards the sky, but the Chancellor was already gone. Out of his reach. He should have known, he had suspected that the magenta haired man wasn't looking out for their best interest— damnit he had known the man was tailing them, known that he couldn't be trusted!

"That fucker!", he raged, hands clenching and unclenching as Noctis look to him. No doubt he felt like drawing his sword too.

"Did you see him do it?", Ignis asked, and Gladiolus looked back sharply at Noctis, their eyes locking.

"No… But there was something off about him. His face just wasn't right."

Ignis nodded, eyes moving behind his glasses towards the sky.

"I don't believe Titan would have shown you Chancellor Izunia if the two visions weren't related. We'd best exercise caution around him, and try to discover his true intentions. Cor might be able to provide answers."

Noctis nodded as Gladiolus shifted his weight from leg to leg and Prompto sighed, looking between the group.

"But…", the sharpshooter started, "First we gotta get back to the Regalia."

* * *

They couldn't find the damned car.

The problem was only made worse by the pressing need to locate the Oracle after Noctis told them about the other vision he had— this one of the past. Lunafreya had awoken Titan. It stood to reason she was out to awaken the others, and Noctis was convinced that the idea was a bad one. She was making these decisions alone, and yes the prophecy said he should get their help, but Noctis wasn't altogether sure he wanted to trust the prophecy anymore. Not when doing so ended up with him dead.

"We need to catch up with Luna", Noctis growled, "How the hell do we do that without the car?"

He was irritable that the car was gone and that they had to walk to the nearest outpost, which turned out to be Wiz's. That was a stroke of good luck they desperately needed. With the weather getting gloomy and the smell of rain in the air the four set back off, and Noctis called Cindy about locating their car. She'd do the best she could.

"She's out there summoning the Six and I don't even know what the hell for."

"Not much we can do about it", Gladiolus said, "we've got no idea where she is."

Noctis closed his mouth, deciding that pressing the issue was only going to get tempers going, and he needed to cool down. The rain felt pretty nice after the heat of the Disc when it started, but soon enough Prompto pointed out that they would have to replace their electronics if they got too soaked.

So a shelter was found and everybody rested up to the best of their ability. They chatted idly, until somebody mentioned the car— and then Prompto started cracking jokes about teenager finding it and taking it on a joyride. Maybe it was just some kids screwing around, after all they had left the top down. Easy to get in, easy to hotwire.

Noctis didn't appreciate when Gladiolus sighed and rolled his eyes to Prompto.

"Shortstack, the Empire probably has her. Since when is our luck that good?"

Prompto hummed sadly, huffed out a breath, and tucked his chin onto his hands. His eyes met Noctis's, and the prince responded by arching an eyebrow.

"So… What do we do now?", the gunner asked.

"Wait", Ignis said, "once Cindy locates it we will do what is needed to reclaim it. Until then, we'll do what we can."

"Wiz's is just down that way", Gladiolus pointed out, jerking his thumb in the general direction of the Chocobo Outpost. The prospect of Chocobos made Prompto a little happier. "We could rent the birds and go after Lady Lunafreya on foot. Gotta be better than sitting around and waiting", he finished.

"Yeah!", Prompto said, sitting up straight, "We can search around easier with them right? She's gotta be looking around for them in hidden spots right? The Regalia isn't that useful unless we're on the road."

"True enough", Ignis said, though didn't extend the commenting too much for fear of upsetting Noctis. The prince was glad his friends were finding some benefit to this, but he had a terrible sensation that he had to _hurry_. Time was imperative. If he didn't catch Luna… Something bad was going to happen.

He just knew it.

"Oh hey! It's Umbra? How come we never get to see Ti- I mean Pryna?"

"Pryna doesn't send messages", Noctis said, jumping up from his spot on a small boulder to greet the dog.

"Hey boy…"

Umbra barked, and trotted to the edge of the cave and through the rain which was clearing up, though the skies remained heavy with it and dark.

"Umbra!", Noctis jogged after, but the dog hadn't gone far. As he rounded the entrance and turned to the left he stopped short.

"Gentiana… Where's Luna?"

Gentian's head tipped to the side.

"Hear me, O King of the Stone. By the Stormsender's blessing will the path to the stone be opened. The Oracle goes hence in her King's name."

"Luna- Gentiana you need to make her stop!", Noctis took a few steps forward and Gentiana's head lifted, as if watching him though her eyes were closed.

"Where is she?", he continued. His friends had followed him out and now stood behind him a few feet back.

"The eye of the Storm. The Oracle goes now to forge a covenent, so that the King might walk his path."

"I don't want to walk that path! Gentiana _why_ do we need to wake up the Gods?", his voice was a plea for information. He had walked a predestined path all his life, told that all would end well, that he as the Chosen King would conquer the darkness. But how could he do that dead? And what would happen to Luna? The Rites weren't easy, and they weren't mean to be done so fast. When Luna's mother, Oracle Sylva, tried to defend Tenebrae from Niflheim's invasion she had roused the Gods, or so his father said. Only one had answered her call, but just calling to them had left her weak. And she had spaced each rite out.

Shiva, the one that answered, was struck down by Niflheim to the horror of all.

"O King… The Accursed One beats this Star slowly into darkness. Stray not from the assured path, the weight of this Star rests on you… The Oracle will await her King at the walls of water."

And she was gone.

"I- I know you guys explained the whole Messenger thing but… Was that for real?", Prompto asked, equally disturbed as he was confused.

Gladiolus crossed his arms.

"Beyond real. I don't like what she had to say", he said darkly, his eyes meeting Noctis's before moving to Umbra.

"Nor did I", Ignis said with a low tone, "It sounds as if she knows how everything will turn out and continues to push Noct towards it."

Noctis knelt and took the journal from Umbra, in his heart growing doubt and anger for the Gods and the prophecy. He opened up the journal, skimming fast through it until he found the most recent page.

' _My prayers are with you, Noctis.'_

' _Stay where you are. Send word back. I need to find you. Wait for me.'_ He hesitated for a long, long moment and then wrote: ' _Don't listen to Gentiana.'_

"Umbra… Make sure Luna doesn't go to Altissia. Make her wait for me, okay?"

The dog's tail wagged, and once Noctis had deposited the journal, ran off.

"Now then", Ignis said, "It's safe to assume that Lady Lunafreya is the cause behind the recent weather. Awakening the Fulgurian is bound to have an effect on it. Where might we locate her?"

Prompto looked off in the distance, where lightning was crackling every few minutes.

"Well, I don't know if you guys noticed, but the lightning has been hitting the same spot the whole time and the storm hasn't moved. I've been able to get some awesome shots because of it." He waved his camera around to emphasize, and Noctis chuckled.

"Well, looks like your hobby can do more than take us on detours. Gladio, how far do you think that is?", Noctis asked, looking back to the man of nature. Gladio peered off, waiting for the lightning to strike again before he said anything.

"I'd say about fifteen miles off."

Noctis, like the rest of the group, watched the lightning strike again and then turned resolutely towards the Chocobo outpost. His blue eyes were determined, focused on recreating their ordained path into something that was _theirs_ , not the Gods. It was a goal that, he knew, was bigger than a human, bigger than the four of them. Who knew how much effort it would take, or how long, or how hard it would be for him to defeat 'The Accursed' without the path wrote down for hundreds of years. It could be impossible, but then, Noctis hadn't been raised to think he was limited. He was raised to understand that he was the Chosen One— and if the crystal thought so highly of him, if the Gods thought so highly of him, if his _dad_ trusted the world to his hands… He wasn't going to disappoint. And he wasn't going to die or let any of his friends die doing it.

Best get started right away.

* * *

On the way to the spot where the lightning was striking, Noctis could only think. They spent a while talking, but the trip was going to take just under three hours barring any creature or imperial delays. They stocked up and made plans back at the outpost, and now all the prince had to think about was occasionally getting his Chocobo to sprint when the terrain was flat enough. He'd had that one before, and was getting to know her well. She was sweet, gentle, and didn't mind him sleeping all over her at night. He should probably see about a name for her. Thinking of naming her reminded him of another time that he wanted to name an animal, back when he was small and still recovering from his injury in Tenebrae.

Luna had been showing him around the outside of the manor. She stopped to pick some of the flowers, and he was beginning to doze… Hers was a comforting presence to be around. He couldn't help it. And the wound he had left him sleeping more than ever.

A like-minded individual had also been looking to nap, and in moments Noctis's lap had been taken as a resting spot for a local stray cat. The prince, without opportunity to see strays in the Citadel and without permission to keep a pet from his dad, had woken instantly to stare in astonishment. He was very hesitant about petting the cat, but the sight of the little animal curled up on blanketed legs had the immobilized child reaching out soon enough.

The cat was friendly, but the King was less so when Noctis brought it inside.

" _You cannot keep her",_ he said, _"she belongs here. She is not yours."_

" _But I named her_ ", Noctis said, his childish voice wobbling in upset, " _And she came to me_."

" _That doesn't make her yours, Noctis."_

The prince looked on in dismay, knowing his dad's decision was unchangeable.

" _But why?",_ he asked, very quietly.

" _Because she only wanted a place to sleep, son. Cats never belong to people anyway, no matter what name you put on them."_

Noctis smiled a bit. His dad had been right— the cat ran off after her nap and never went back to him again. Luna had felt bad enough for him that she made him hold Pryna, even though he wasn't as fond of dogs, but he had appreciated it as a kid. He hoped he could get to her in time.

"Alright, getting pretty close now. Let's leave the Chocobos here", Gladiolus said, and stopped near a rocky hill to secure his bird's lead to a notch in the stone. The group followed, and Noctis gave his Chocobo a lasting pat.

"Thanks for the ride."

Into the grove they went, relatively cautious but all eager to see what the lightning was striking. Ignis had supposed it might be a metal structure of some sort, while Prompto thought it could be another Royal Arm. Gladiolus hadn't been forthcoming in his opinion…

Whatever his idea of it was, it was probably wrong, because standing near the base of the rocky outcropping was a fulgurite crystal. Noctis had never seen one before, and it was huge with crystalline branches. When the lightning struck it, it glowed, and dulled again. Unfortunately, before they could reach it they had to deal with a group of imperial MTs who had been drawn to the lightning.

"Hang back!", Noctis called, pulling a flask filled with enough ice energy to form a Blizzara. He cast it out to the MTs, who all froze up, their whirring gears cranking and screeching to a halt. The only moment the unnatural things were still. Otherwise, they were a massive, moving, flurry of blades. Shivering at the sudden ice coating the grass and the chill in the air, the group lunged forward almost in unison to finish them off before they could start functioning again, but already they were beginning to shift. A few moments of machinery clanking and they were going. Noctis had to draw back sharply as his opening was filled with sword edges, and Ignis also had to fall away from the fray. Prompto though was able to shoot at one of the leading MTs, freezing the machine up long enough for Gladiolus to jump in with his immense blade. The Shield made quick work of them in the confined space.

"We'd best hurry on, another squad will be investigating shortly", Ignis said. Noctis gave a firm nod and made his way over to the crystal. He could feel power emanating from it, rather similar to the vastness of Titan's but a little sharper. Made sense— the power belonged to the Fulgurian. To Ramuh.

He raised his hand to the crystal, hardly startled by the purple lightning that shot out with his ability to sense the magic dwelling within it. It touched him and he felt himself pulled along with the current, almost as if he was a part of it, to a memory he had long forgotten. Gentiana… Tenebrae… Even then she had pushed him along the path he was expected to walk… And he hadn't understood. He just believed whatever Luna told him.

But who told Luna? Her mother? His father?

Who started it all?

" **Chosen One, descend into the eye of the storm. The revelation of the Stormsender awaits the True King…** **Whose ascension brings fear to the foreign hordes… The fearful try to seal the path of what must come…** "

He was beginning to wonder if Gentiana had something to do with it. She was the one who had been pushing them, guiding them… And with a sickening feeling Noctis wondered why that was so different from the Chancellor. They didn't even really know anything about Gentiana.

For all they knew, she was no better… But Luna continued to walk the prophesized path. If he strayed, he had a feeling he would lose her.

So he must too… Just until he could take her with him on their own.


	7. Unwilling to Fall ptII

Gladiolus stiffened when he saw Noctis raise a hand to his head and was only able to think _not again_. More headaches? He had thought that, after Titan, Noctis would be free of them. The Shield stretched his arm out to balance Noctis, who jumped and looked up at him. Gladiolus pulled back, surprised and a little spooked by the look in his prince's bright purple gaze, though it quickly faded back to blue. The power of the Gods, huh? He hoped that the prince could manage it. Noctis looked pissed and hell-bent on ruining someone's day, a dangerous combination when the young man had so much strength at his disposal.

 _Aim it at someone who deserves it_ , the Amicitia thought.

"You okay man?", Prompto apparently was willing to sacrifice himself up to the prince's ire, but it was a question that needed asking, "Head hurting again?"

Noctis glanced down at his hand as if he hadn't noticed he had raised it up. The anger, like the sparking purple, diminished as he looked at each of them. The teeth filled grimace he wore eased.

"A bit. Gentiana was in my head again."

"I'm not liking her easy access into your thick skull", Gladiolus grunted, turning with Noctis as the prince started back towards the exit. A light rain was starting to come down again.

"It is rather concerning, but hopefully it won't become the same hassle as it did with the Archaean", Ignis supplied, his eyes narrowed in thought. A shadowed passed over them and the familiar hum of machinery followed. Gladiolus followed the advisor's gaze as it shot up to the sky.

"Another airship. Great", Noctis muttered, but summoned his weapon.

The confined spaces made it hard for them to fight and increased the risk of friendly fire, but they couldn't run past and flee when they were trapped on three sides. Gladiolus had to be careful about his swings, unlike Ignis and Noctis, who were weaving between enemies. When the MTs began to congregate Gladiolus swung his sword with enough force to throw them all back, scattering the deadly imperial soldiers again. Prompto was quick to take the presented opportunities and fired off fast rounds, while Noctis occasionally warped to a vulnerable target. The fight was over in minutes and nobody was seriously harmed by their swinging blades or whizzing bullets.

"Alright there Prompto?", Noctis asked. The sharpshooting blond had been grazed by the bullet of a sniper. His arm was bleeding freely, but merely a flesh wound.

"Uh, yeah. Potion'll take care of it", Prompto said, and broke one over the graze. He used the water dripping from a small ledge just over their heads to wash the blood off.

"Where to now Noct?", Gladiolus asked, resisting asking about what Gentiana had said. Something told him that Noctis wasn't feeling up to sharing yet.

"Same thing, follow the lightning."

So they did, but it was five miles to the next crystal and the rain was picking up again. Ignis suggested stopping and actually resting, because despite the conspicuous lack of complaints from Noctis and Prompto, even he and Gladiolus were starting to feel sore from the riding. Their trips by Chocobo had never been quite so long. They needed to eat, rest, and in the morning they would pick the trail back up. When Noctis protested that they had to catch up to Luna, Prompto pointed out that even she had to take breaks. The agreement was struck and they searched around until they found foliage dense enough to provide rain-cover.

"Prompto, come with me for herbs and what wild vegetables we may find. Noctis, please go with Gladio."

Noctis looked up from his spot on the rock, a little surprised but not unwilling. He hadn't begun to doze yet. Gladiolus helped him up by offering a hand, feeling a surge of gladness when the prince took it with no hesitation.

 _Looks like he's recovering from that dream_ , he thought, and wondered again how the hell a dream could have such a powerful influence on the prince. Dreams had never effected Noctis like this, not since the one he had in his coma. And that one had divine influence, apparently…

With a sickening feeling, Gladiolus grabbed Noctis by the shoulder, startling the prince as he had just turned away. The black haired man's eyes jerked to the Shield and hung on him, heavy and questioning.

"Your dream, the one that's been making you flinch? What happens in it?"

The question was sudden and took Noctis off guard. Ignis hadn't yet moved out and turned to watch, as did Prompto, who already knew a little bit about it.

"Uh… There's a lot of fire", Noctis said slowly, "And a person I can't see grabs me. And I'm burning."

Gladiolus's heart sunk.

 _Ifrit?_

"Have you been having them lately?", he asked, a little fast. He might be grasping at nothing here, seeing connections where they didn't exist. It could just be trauma from the Deadeye event… But then, Noctis had been flinching long before that.

"Ah… No, not really. Guess whatever was up with it died down", Noctis said, and shrugged. Gladiolus pushed the worry down— if it wasn't happening anymore, there was no issue.

"Thanks, I just wanted to know", he said, and caught Ignis's furrow browed gaze. He cast a _no big deal_ shrug at the brunette. Unconvinced, Ignis hesitated before turning to head off into the shrubbery.

"Back in a flash", Noctis called, back already turned as he headed off into the forest opposite Ignis and Prompto. Gladiolus followed after, already looking for trails or broken branches as they began their search for a good meal.

* * *

Their good meal ended up being a Garulet they made off with, quickly fleeing the area before the herd could attack them. They weren't up for a grand fight with an angry Garulessa and the herd had a few Greens in it too. The calf was small enough for them to carry off after Noctis warped in with a death-blow and they made it back to camp in roughly an hour after fending off a small Voretooth pack from their prize. By the time they made it back the drizzle was just becoming true rain, and Gladiolus let out a sigh of relief when they reached cover. Running around in wet leather just wasn't fun.

"Very nice, make sure to throw the inedible parts far out for the scavengers", Ignis said, leaving Gladiolus to do the skinning and carving with a blade Noctis summoned for him.

"I miss my supplies. Gotta get the damn Regalia back", the Shield grumbled. Noctis laughed from beside the fire, and Gladiolus aimed a stern glance at him. Just because Noctis hadn't complained in the last hour didn't mean he could turn the tables on Gladiolus.

"But I thought you were all about roughing it, huh big guy?", the prince said, a sly smirk on his face that made the Shield vaguely uncomfortable. Damned royal had no right to judge.

"Hey, can't change that I was born in the city", Gladiolus challenged, "There are some things a man needs."

"Like toilet paper", Prompto interjected, to which Ignis snorted in agreement.

"An adequate example. I find myself missing my Ebony", the cook said, spearing a piece of meat Gladio had carved off. Soon enough it was grilling over an open flame, skewered along with some wild onions and potatoes and herbs on sharpened and de-barked sticks.

"What about you Noct?", Prompto asked, tearing his gaze away from the meat that was calling his name slowly across the flickering flames.

"Ah, I miss the old girl. I have everything else", Noctis said, leaning back against his Chocobo. She was warming him up after getting chilled from the rain, and opened an eye to peer at him before lifting her head. He eyed her back.

Gladiolus raised an eyebrow, wondering what the prince was going on about and also a little intrigued by the staring contest happening between bird and man. His own Chocobo was sleeping.

"And that would be?"

Noctis colored a bit and looked up into the thick branches over their heads.

"It's us, isn't it?", Prompto asked enthusiastically. Gladiolus laughed at the scandalized look the prince threw at him.

"It is! Noct loves us!", the blond was cackling at the prince who had now entirely turned away from them. It made Gladiolus grin.

Hardcore roughing it wasn't so bad, he thought, when you had friends to do it with. The humor in the group increased tenfold when the bird tried grooming Noctis's hair. After fending her off and the teasing from the group did down, a quiet settled amongst them that was broken only by the sound of the rain and the lightning. The pounding water was crashing in a constant and heavy sheet across the land, dripping through the leaves they had taken shelter under and forming running rivulets across the ground of their camp.

Noctis and Prompto were curled up against their Chocobos, asleep, while Ignis and Gladiolus remained awake.

"The storm is only growing worse", Ignis stated quietly, his steady gaze finding an equal in Gladiolus's eyes.

"Yeah."

"Perhaps keeping the deity waiting is a mistake. Gods are not always so forgiving."

Gladiolus turned his head, arching a brow. "I don't care if they are Gods. They don't get to hurt Noct either. Ramuh's waited a hell of a long time, what's one more night going to hurt?"

Ignis hummed in something close to agreement and looked out to the rain. Gladiolus looked too, trying to see anything besides what their fire revealed and the reflection of the moon and stars playing off of the water. At least the animals of the night were all settled down in their nests, as unwilling to face the rain as the four friends were.

Daemons were another story, but so far they'd had luck in nothing popping up. Maybe they didn't like water either. The last thing they needed was to fight an Iron Giant in the cold, dark, and rainy night. The Shield sighed and leaned back against his Chocobo, reassured by the too-strong, animal smell of the bird. With some time, his muscles relaxed and sleep came to him. Leaving Ignis on watch for some hours, until Prompto's turn came to take watch.

Everyone slept fitfully until Prompto spoke up nervously, loudly.

"Guys? Hey, wake up- I think we gotta move out", he said, shaking Ignis's shoulder. The advisor straightened sharply, and Gladiolus grunted and looked up. Prompto was pointing towards where the lightning strikes were hitting— and every time the lightning lit the sky a dark figure, immense in stature, appeared.

Looking directly at them.

"It appears we've kept him waiting too long", Ignis said uneasily, and Gladiolus had to agree. There was something very nerve-wracking about seeing that God silhouetted in each flash, staring them down.

"Gladio, wake Noctis up."

The order was expected. He handled the prince best in his sleepiest of rages.

But Noctis was already awake when he looked to the prince, wincing and holding his head.

"Ahh…", the prince hissed, "He's not happy. We need to hurry."

And so they did, through the icy cold rain and the puddles and flooded dips in the valley they made the most unpleasant trek of their lives. As unhappy as their Chocobos were, they reached the spot in a little under thirty minutes with the birds sprinting most of the way.

Like the first, the Ramuh's power sparked and crackled along the crystal. Unlike the first, approaching the crystal made Noctis's hand jump to his head and made him slow to a stop as he waited out a sudden and painful headache.

Prompto reached out to steady the prince, who looked up with a wince to the crystal.

And before the others could stop him, he reached out to touch it.

* * *

The power exploded through him as it had before, and Noctis was drawn in to it as if his consciousness was pulled straight from his body. He expected something with Gentiana again— instead, he found himself in the middle of a storm, falling. Falling fast through black clouds, lightning crackling all around him and thunder reverberating in his chest, so loud that his ears rang with the sound of it.

Terror gripped him, but he twisted, searching, looking for Ramuh— and a great hand shot out from the clouds and gripped him. The God had the prince literally in the palm of his hand, much like Titan had done, but Ramuh _squeezed_ and the prince's ephemeral body was filled with electricity. Only, it touched more than his body. It touched his mind, and like the hand that held him the God took hold of his mind and searched it. The pain was beyond comprehending.

" _AHHH!"_

Ramuh dropped him, but a lasting echo filled his mind.

" **A new path carved from royal blood? King, you dare? Then I too shall bow. Make haste.** "

The sensation of plummeting down was abruptly replaced with the feeling of being held in strong arms, warm, and just a little too tight.

"Noct!"

Oh. He had fallen in the physical realm too. Sparks of purple jumped off of him, descending into the ground. His open eyes met Gladiolus's, and then Prompto's as his Shield eased him down.

"You okay? You went all spark-show and then just dropped", Prompto explained worriedly. Noctis rubbed his head.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Ramuh was uh… Was not happy. I saw him this time."

Gentiana's voice was conspicuously absent this time.

"Is he unwilling to aid us?", Ignis asked, raising his hands to his hips with a sigh. Noctis could see what he was thinking: _we should have continued on._

"Ah, actually… I think he's more willing to help now."

The answer was unexpected, and Ignis beat back a look of surprise. Gladiolus too had to tame his expression, while Prompto gave a nervous laugh.

"Somehow that's… Not so comforting", he said, and Noctis had to agree in part. That had hurt far worse than being consumed in fire had because it stretched beyond the physical. But… Ramuh supported him in venturing from his predestined fate. That was two Gods in support of him— it made him feel a little more solid in his determination.

"Is that it then?", Gladiolus asked, a little confused, and then shifted when a cold wind blew by them, bring Gentiana with it. Her appearance was as immaculate as ever, but there was something… A little disturbed, about her.

"No. The King must journey to Fociaugh, the eastern hollow… The broken seal allows you entry into the deepest cavern, but no other can be allowed to find it."

She took a step towards him, and he was startled to see her eyes open.

"It pains me greatly to see the King stray. Hurry forth from darkest woods onto the path."

Something old looked at him in those eyes, but the gaze was not unkind.

She was gone again with the wind.

"Well", Ignis stated with a low tone of irritation, "she's stressed that point enough hasn't she?"

Gladiolus grunted, crossing his arms. Prompto clapped Noctis on the back, earning a startled look from the prince.

"Nobody tells royalty what to do!"

Noctis grinned, and Gladiolus took the opportunity to tease.

"Yeah, because if they do he'll turn into a royal pain in the ass!"

Despite the storm clearing they elected to continue on, none of them eager to start the storm again by keeping the Fulgurian waiting while they rested. With the prospect of his aid in changing their futures, all were eager to secure the God's favor. Gladiolus and the others had been thinking about what it meant that Noctis died on the throne, and all came to the dark conclusion that they had likely been dead and unable to prevent it. On what they knew, though there was little to go on, their lives also depended on changing their futures.

And so they carried on through the night to Fociaugh Hollow.

* * *

"Gladio, uh, are we sure about going in there?", Prompto asked as they hovered at the entrance to the cave. A huge boulder had been split in two by lightning strike and was singed black. Gladiolus wasn't all that sure if lightning could even do that.

"It's the way to go", he said, leading the way into the cavern despite the discomfort he was in. Wet leather… At least he'd had a little time on the Chocobo to dry out. Thank the Gods for that too, fighting in soaked leather would have made him chafe.

And considering they didn't have any of their spare clothes right now, that sounded horrible.

They descended the cavern slowly, the darkness thick and heavy. They kept conversation light, at least until a sudden flurry of bats made them all jump like cats thrown into a dog's sight.

"Aaah! I don't like this place!", Prompto said, shaking his arms to rid himself of fear induced tingling. Gladiolus simply wondered how the bats got in at all, with the place being sealed up.

 _Daemon bats?_

The thought rang uneasily in his skull. The damned things were getting far too numerous, and those bats had seemed normal… Except for the darkness that followed them, like a shadow drifting cloudlike through the air.

"It is rather ominous… We'd best remain cautious", Ignis stated, and glanced at Noctis. Gladiolus didn't know what he was about to ask until the man spoke again.

"Highness, I don't suppose you could summon the power that enabled you to see in the ice caves?", Ignis said. The statement surprised Gladiolus.

"I don't know about that… Last time…", he said, thinking of how much it took out of Noctis. They hadn't had enough time to really recover either. He knew that Noctis wasn't running on full energy, and they were going to get sick with all of the extremes they had been exposed to. Nearly frozen to death, a week later nearly burned to death. Two days after that and they were getting rained on and cold again.

"Noctis will not use the same method to rid us of the daemons as he did last time", Ignis said, and his eyes flashed to the prince. Obviously, he would not allow the black haired man to use up so much of his energy again. They weren't even sure where that energy had come from. It hadn't been from his usual magical reserves.

"Alright, I won't do it", Noctis said, but he didn't sound as stubborn as usual. With all of the sacrificing Gentiana was trying to get the prince to do, Gladiolus was glad to see him accepting that they could carry some of the weight.

"Well, let's get going. Don't want to keep Ramuh waiting", Gladiolus said, and waited a moment while Noctis focused. His eyes glowed a few moments later before dimming, and he saw the prince wince at their lights and glance around.

"Not as bright", he muttered, taking a few steps forward and away. Gladiolus let him lead, since he could see danger coming better than any of them. The tunnel was fairly straightforward and open… Until they reached a narrowed passage, and Gladiolus groaned. Of course. Tight spaces.

He went last, as the biggest of the group.

"Urgh… Tight… Squeeze", he spoke, voice strained as he wiggled through the rocks.

"Haha, maybe for you", Prompto sounded smug, "pretty easy for me though."

But then it got narrower.

"Hmph-! Ugh! On- second thought! Maybe not!", the gunner sounded a little panicked from his phobia of tight spaces.

Gladiolus, on the other hand, could hardly breathe from squeezing through.

"Oof- fuck- give me a minute-", he ground out, and Ignis paused up ahead, glancing back at him. Somehow the bespectacled man was moving rather easily. Gladiolus felt like his ribs were slowly folding in on him.

"Best hurry, the other two are advancing", Ignis said, remaining with the big guy.

"Hey! You two- stop!", the tank barked out, but heard Prompto laugh at him as their footsteps faded off.

"Gods- damn them-", Gladiolus grunted and eased to the side, losing his breath again as the rocks compressed his chest. "Go after them-"

"Ah-hh!"

Prompto's sudden alarm got him moving quicker as Ignis slipped out, and Gladiolus grunted as he finally got free.

"Imps! Why imps!"

The pesky creatures were swiping and giggling at them, sometimes tripping Noctis and other times aiming their bizarre little energy blasts at him. The blasts were always preceded by a purple line, aiming straight at their target. And speaking of— Gladiolus saw one!

"Prompto! Target!", Prompto took cover behind a little rock at Ignis's warning, and the blast hit the stone harmlessly.

"Back up!", Gladiolus conjured his greatsword and swung, knocking the little daemons aside like bowling pins. Frustrated by their wily ways, he swung again and cleaved several of the little bastards in half. The rest were taken out by Prompto's bullets and Ignis's daggers, or by Noctis's warp-strikes.

"Aaagh I hate them!", Prompto said, jumping away from a twitching corpse. Gladiolus grunted in agreement and the group continued on, finding a neat fossil on the way. The tunnel dropped down as they moved, leading to a small opening that had Gladiolus grimacing. He'd really have to fold over to get through.

"You can make it big guy", Prompto said, patting his arm, making Gladiolus throw a glare his way. He was probably the last person in the group that needed encouragement.

"Shall we continue?", Ignis asked as Noctis crouched down. The prince hesitated.

"I've got dark spots up ahead. Pretty small though…"

Prompto sighed. More imps.

With the little daemons taken care of and some new ingredients added to their bags from the small patch of greenery in the sunlight. Gladiolus felt some relief to see the second entrance to the caves— the bats were likely normal then, and perhaps the daemons weren't becoming more numerous. He simply wasn't used to them after being inside the city for so long.

They continued on, Noctis taking advantage of the elemental energy in the cave and Prompto finding small treasures that would fetch a decent price at the local outposts. All was going well… Until they came to another narrow passageway.

 _Fuck_ , Gladiolus thought, brows furrowed down hard. He hated these tiny sections. Noctis started through, but then paused, leaning forward like he was trying to see.

And then a bunch of imps burst through the opening on the other side and scared the four out of their wits. Gladiolus could almost relate to Prompto's scream, and jumped back. He took the opportunity to kill the damn things while they were laughing.

"I almost feel bad for them", Noctis said, "Until they do something like claw me or shoot me."

The others hummed in agreement, except for Prompto, who stalwartly refused to pity the daemons. The passage was just as narrow as the last and just as troublesome for Gladiolus, who was still getting through when Prompto was startled by a low, echoing growl.

"What? What was that? Where is it?", the blond asked, skipping away from the shadows and closer to Noctis.

"We're fine. I don't see anything."

"Oh. Oh okay. Okay. Um, still feeling alright dude?", Prompto asked as Gladiolus finally got free. The tank turned his head, watching Noctis carefully as the prince answered.

"Bit of a headache, but it's fine."

He looked honest enough saying it, so they took him at his word and continued on… Not noticing that Prompto had dropped back to take a picture of a chasm.

"AAAAH!"

His scream made them all jump and race back, only to find Prompto gone.

"Prom?!", Noctis called loudly, his voice echoing the caves.

"This way-", Ignis took the lead as they rushed downward, hoping to find the blond. They entered into a large area with many drops and faint lighting from above.

"Guys!"

Gladiolus felt a surge of relief when he spotted his friend.

"Are you alright?", Ignis called as they made their way down.

"No! No I'm not alright! It just _had_ to be a snake!", Prompto said, hurrying over to them. Noctis reached out and patted his arm, trying to settle the shaken blond. It worked to some effect, but the arrival of more imps and a few hobgoblins undid the effort.

"Where do these creeps even come from?!", Prompto cried, summoning his big gun to shoot into the little hoard of imps while Gladiolus got as far away from the Hobgoblins as he could. Best leave them to Noctis and Ignis who could move faster than him. At least, he intended to do that until Ignis got decked by the punching daemon in front of him and hit the ground hard. Gladiolus swung his sword out, making the daemon jump back and saving the advisor from a flurry of powerful blows. Noctis was faring better, dodging and weaving and phasing by hits so get at the daemon in front of him, taking advantage of any weak spot he saw. It made Gladiolus proud to see him coming such a long way. A gunshot went off right behind him and Prompto whooped as the hobgoblin fell, taken down by the bullet. Noctis finished up with the other one right as Gladiolus helped Ignis up, sharing a bit of his energy through a transfer method they had recently figured out to help heal the other man up. With all of them sharing power from the prince, giving a little to someone who was low worked as a quick pick-me-up.

"On we go", was all he said, but Gladiolus caught the grateful nod from him.

It took some searching before they found the next passage, which again Gladiolus had to fold up for. Thankfully the somewhat painful task was over with quick and they were introduced to the next cavern. Prompto hung close, eyes wide and brows falling at sharp angles over his eyes.

"She's in here. I know she's in here. SHOW YOURSELF!"

Gladiolus smacked the smaller man's shoulder lightly.

"Hey, cool it", he said sharply. The last thing they needed was to attract more attention. He saw Noctis's eyes roaming, the prince's brows drawn tight together with a wrinkle of pain between them.

"See anything?", Ignis questioned, the group remaining where they were as he checked around. All seemed fine until Noctis looked up— and then the man jumped back.

"Gah- that thing is huge", he said, and Prompto's gun appeared in his hand fast.

"You see her? Where?", his gun was pointed at the ceiling. Gladiolus quickly pointed it down.

"Don't want to cause a cave in", he said warningly. Prompto cringed, muttering an apology.

 _She's really got him spooked_ , Gladiolus thought.

"So, what do we do?", the Shield asked, looking to their planner, Ignis. The advisor was watching the ceiling as well.

"Try to go beneath her, I suppose, and if she's disturbed we'll handle it."

The plan didn't ring very well with Prompto, but that was the best they could do. They could see that their destination was beyond her. Despite all of their hopes, she noticed them, or perhaps had been watching them the whole time, but either way she dropped down.

" _My baby… Where… My baby…?_ "

She was hideous, and Prompto was trembling behind Gladiolus and Noctis. They couldn't fault him for that at all, she was utterly frightening with a humanoid face, milky white eyes, black hair with strange adornments, and a serpent's body.

"Can't help you there", Noctis said slowly, "we don't know where your baby is."

She hissed, a chillingly wavering noise."

" _Then… You… Be my babies!_ ", she hissed loudly, and jerked forward. She wasn't striking at them with her face, instead trying to hit them with her tail while diving and— somehow disappearing into the stony ground as if it were water.

 _Damn daemons- defying all logic!_

The fight wasn't too difficult. Gladiolus got the distinct impression that she wasn't trying to hurt them too badly, which was kind of sad because they were beating her to death. She wouldn't be dissuaded from trying though, and in the end it was Noctis who struck the killing blow.

She tipped over the side of a chasm, disappearing into the dark.

"…Hope she's with her baby now", the prince said quietly, and the group had a somber moment.

"Do you ever think… That daemons might have been normal once?", Noctis continued. Ignis hummed quietly.

"They are infected with the blight. Who knows what they once were…"

Prompto, Gladiolus noticed, looked distinctly uncomfortable by the topic and decided to step in.

"I think we've kept Ramuh waiting long enough. Let's finish this."

He led the way into the passage and saw the crystal up ahead, breathing out a sigh of relief. They'd finally found it.

Noctis approached it, and raised his hand… The crystal lit up in bright blue energy before it began emitting purple sparks and jumped to the prince's hand.

Gladiolus held his breath.

* * *

Noctis was falling again. Turbulent air hit him hard, flinging him over and around until he couldn't even tell which way was up or down.

 _No_ , he thought, _not this time!_

He conjured his sword, flinging it and warping after it until he knew he was rising, going up, up over the clouds until finally he broke into open air. He let himself drift, the wind under his feet keeping him raised above the swirling and dipping expanse of the shadowed heavens.

"Ramuh!", he called out, and the air struck him hard from behind as thunder struck. He whirled around, his heart pounding as he met the wise eyes of the God that towered over him. He was on level with the Fulgurian's gaze.

" **I have long been trapped, awaiting the Chosen King. I am bound to aid you, if I wish to ride the heaven's unfettered again.** "

"Who trapped you?", Noctis asked, his eyes catching the shine of the stars that glowed from the blackness of the sky.

" **He the Unconquered, the Sacrifice of the Gods; Bahamut, who remained unchallenged until Ifrit rose and seared the world with his rage… That his favor would never fall to humans.** "

Noctis took a step forward, his hammering heart only picking up the pace at this revelation. Bahamut? The mightiest of the Gods, by all legend, whose disappearance was still unexplained even in the Cosmogony?

"Why would Bahamut trap you?", Noctis asked, and was startled as the great being laughed.

" **Bahamut fears the Accursed One, but his fear of us other Gods is greater. Ifrit strayed from the path laid out for us… Bahamut could not remain on this Star to save the humans if any of us followed the fickle one. He sealed us away, under the power of the Kings of Lucis and the Oracles. He favored the Lucian sons most of his humans** ", Noctis could almost see the memories flitting through the ancient being's eyes. The Astral watched him with eyes that seemed to know Noctis well.

"Why does he favor my family?", he asked quietly. Something in him was beating alongside his heart in anxiety, something telling him that the answer was one he didn't want to hear.

" **Because like the Unconquered himself, one day a Lucian child would be sacrificed to purge the Star Scourge and rid the world of the Accursed One. He planned it so.** "

Noctis took a step back, the air under his feet holding him even as he felt his world drop out from beneath his feet.

"You're telling me… All this time… For hundreds of years… He's just been waiting to kill me?", it was more than he could take. Knowing that his future following the prophecy meant his death had been one thing— but to know that it had been planned from the beginning?

Insane.

" **He would guide you to your suicide** ", Ramuh spoke, " **but Bahamut has made a mistake… He could not, in all his glory, predict that his Chosen King would wish to walk another path. You do, do you not?** "

Noctis looked up from the clouds below and met the Astral's gaze.

"I don't want to die", he said, "I don't want to leave my country. I don't want to leave my friends. I don't want to be his puppet!"

Ramuh smiled, an expression that wrinkled his face and lightened his heavy gaze. Of all the Astrals Noctis had heard of, Ramuh both looked and felt the most human.

" **King, you have the power of two at your side. You shall need more to face Bahamut within the last crystal, of which he sacrificed himself to. There are many challenges to conquer before you escape your given fate, and more to claim the future you desire. Go now with my blessing, and strike as lightning against your enemies.** "

"I'm willing to put in the effort. I just need to find Luna- the Oracle. Can you tell me where she is?", Noctis asked, his fists clenching. His heart had slowed and beat strong in his chest, as sure a sign of his life as the spark within his eyes.

" **I shall still her travels and keep her on Lucis until you have reached her. I know only that she remains within your Kingdom. All else is hidden to me.** "

It was more than Noctis had expected. He bent his waist to the Fulgurian in a bow, and raised his head see him one last time. He could feel their parting approaching, the air around him weakening, ready to drop him back towards Eos.

"Thank you, Ramuh."

The Astral smiled, his eyes dark and heavy on Noctis.

" **Fast as lightning, young King.** "

Noctis fell, but this time he faced the approaching earth and smirked, ready to land.


	8. Some Things To Take Care Of

" _Bizarre weather patterns still halt all ocean travel between Lucis and Altissia. Sources say that the cause of the strange storms could have something to do with the recent lengthening of nights in Lucis, unobserved in the rest of the world._ "

Noctis had his head down on the table of Kenny Crow's diner, the group having claimed a booth in the back that was just close enough to the radio to listen in. When he asked Ramuh to help, he hadn't expected the God to sit a hurricane over the ocean and halt _all_ travel. Lucis itself was finally drying out from all of the unexpected rain during the trial, but Noctis had heard a number of people complaining about the storms along the coast.

"Hey, cheer up. It's not all bad", Gladiolus said, patting the prince's back. Noctis grumbled but raised his head when Ignis cleared his throat.

"It certainly could be worse", the advisor said as he handed Noctis his tray. His burger was absent of vegetables, which was a small relief for the prince.

"What's worse than ruining my nation's international economy?", he grunted, and went directly for his fries. He barely caught the stern look Gladiolus sent Ignis's way, or the way the advisor ignored the Shield's disapproval. Gladiolus was always out to get him to eat vegetables, while Ignis had long since given up.

Prompto's mouth was mostly full as he answered.

"Well, there wasn't much international trade to begin with was there?"

Ignis sighed, and rubbed his temple with two fingers while Noctis aimed the deadest stare he could summon at Prompto. Gladiolus lowered his drink and sent a dark-eyed glare the blond's way. Prompto cringed as Noctis answered.

"That's worse."

The group focused on eating for a few minutes until Noctis's phone rang, and the prince answered swiftly. It was Cindy.

"Well, I found her… But you ain't gunna like where she's at", her voice was worried, and Noctis leaned back in his seat.

"Just tell me", he said.

"She's in an imperial base."

 _Looks like my day_ _ **can**_ _get worse._

"Thanks Cindy."

After getting the coordinates he closed the call and looked to the anxious group. His expression was enough of an answer for them though, and Prompto whined.

"They _do_ have her don't they?", the gunner asked.

"Yup."

"And we have to go get her?"

"Yup."

Prompto groaned and raised his burger, chewing anxiously. Gladiolus sighed and cracked his knuckles, ready to take on the challenge. Ignis sipped his water thoughtfully.

"We're all familiar with the empire as an enemy, recovering the Regalia shouldn't be too much of a hassle", he said, "So long as we plan accordingly."

* * *

The plan was easy. Sneak in, sneak out. It took some hard riding to get to the base, and they spent a while at a nearby haven resting up and going over the plan. Enter during the night, roll out with the Regalia which could take a volley of bullets before any true damage occurred. They could afford repairs later. Under the cover of darkness, they slipped closer, and from there everything began to fall into shape, Noctis warp-killed any stray MTs they spotted as they went. They were well stocked on ethers and hi-potions, which they were phasing in to replace their regular potions stock because the simple curatives just weren't cutting it anymore.

"Careful Noct", Gladiolus said, putting a hand on the dark haired man's shoulder, "those MTs aren't here for shits and giggles."

There were a lot, too. More than they had seen anywhere else, and they were active. Noctis glanced at Ignis, who was also taken off guard by the activity in the base.

"If we remain quiet, we should have no trouble", he assured, but his voice was a little heavy with apprehension. They pressed on, leery of the strange red energy in the air and avoiding the spotlights. The checkpoints sealed with red lasers were unexpected, and drove the nerves of the group up. Prompto nervously kept his gun raised.

Predictably for the day Noctis was having, everything went to hell. Their stealth mission was blown by as they approached the Regalia by the lit area and watching MTs. A MA-X Maniple posed a serious threat to them, and the snipers were taking advantage of their trouble with the large machine.

"Noct! The snipers!"

Prompto was taken down by a shot as Ignis's yell reached past the blood-barrier pounding in the prince's ears. The royal felt a moment of panic as he saw the Maniple move to crush the blond with one metal leg, but Gladiolus jumped between them and repelled the machine with a swing of his War Sword. With his friend safe and stumbling to his feet, Noctis hurried to warp after the snipers and take them out. The blue glow of his magic attracted the attention of the Maniple, and Noctis felt the heat of flames before they reached him and phased out of range. He heard Gladiolus calling out in concern.

"I'm fine!"

He warped back down and immediately dodged a swinging metal arm, summoning his Engine Blade to move quicker. The Maniple was turned, but when it did strike it stuck fast. Gladiolus was lucky to be able to move as quick as he could with his large swords, though he couldn't always keep up with faster targets. Noctis was still gaining finesse with the greatswords, and so stuck to smaller when getting hit meant crushing every bone in his body.

"Ignis! Back up!", the thing was smoking, and Noctis was ready to deliver the final blow and warp away before it could blow. The others backed off, and he warped up to the central 'body' to drive Engine Blade into it. He let the weapon disperse and threw a dagger hard, feeling the heat of the explosion chase him mid warp.

 _Too much fire for one night_ , he thought uncomfortably as Prompto steadied him and reached out quick to put out a few embers in his black hair.

"Everyone alright?", Gladiolus asked, breaking a quick hi-potion for a few burns of his own. Injuries incurred by the machine's missiles.

"Yes", Ignis spoke, using his own. Prompto caught one that Noctis tossed to him and broke it over his shoulder, where a bullet wound bled freely. Noctis used an ether, mostly unharmed but energy drained from warping.

Their moment of recovery didn't last with a large number of MTs enclosing upon them. Gladiolus summoned his sword and dove forth, followed by Ignis who looked grim. Prompto hung back, searching for snipers to take out. The enemy was so numerous that their success looked grim, and retreat began to seem like the better option… Except they couldn't even escape. To do that, they would need to get through the rows of MTs, and while Noctis could warp past them, his friends could not.

It took him a moment to spot the turret, but when he did he acted fast, taking hold of the gun. Ignis saw him between dodging the swinging blades of the enemy.

"Shoot the barrels!", he shouted, with no real way of knowing what was in them but knowing that they might explode and take out some of the enemy. Luck finally shined down upon them as the idea worked, taking out any MTs next to the tanks. Noctis had to be careful with the heavy weapon, afraid of shooting his friends in the poor lighting and all the movement.

A shot rang out somewhere far off, but Noctis didn't notice anything besides a slight burn in his chest as he fired off at the MTs trying to surround his friends. The things were thinning out, and Gladiolus was able to swing and give them some room while Prompto took a moment to breath and Ignis threw a dagger that lodged into a sniper and killed it. Another gunshot in the distance, and Noctis felt another slight burn somewhere on his torso, but he was too pumped up from adrenaline to care and too focused to look. The turret wasn't easy to control and he needed to watch out for overheating. He swung it around, pointing the barrel towards the glowing red generator some distance off and firing hard into it. The resulting explosion significantly weakened their enemies.

If he had taken the time to check on himself, he would have seen that there was blood dripping through the hole filled metal under his feet. It was several long minutes before Prompto took care of the last MT, and Noctis breathed out slowly, his vision dark around the edges and heart pumping hard. There were two spots on his body that burned uncomfortably.

 **BANG!**

In the quiet of the aftermath of the battle, the shot rang out loud and clear. It was dark, but Noctis didn't think it came from Prompto. From what he could see of his friend in the dark his gun was pointed down. Prompto himself looked confused for a moment until he saw Noctis stumble.

"Noct? Hey! Noct are you alright?!", his voice sounded worried, but Noctis didn't know what for until he finally looked at himself. In the faint lighting he could see glints of red on the metal, and when he took the time to touch his leather shirt his fingers came away red and sticky.

 _Oh shit_ , he thought, _I'm shot?_

The pain set in fast when he realized, and he skimmed his hand over the painful spots, feeling his busted leather protruding outwards. He heard his friend's shoes hitting pavement, vaguely heard their voices until he rose his head and saw Gladiolus bounding up the stairs three at a time.

"I've got you- Prompto can you see where they're coming from?!", the Shield kept himself between Noctis and the general direction of the shooting as he pulled the smaller man's arm over his shoulders and dragged the prince down and into cover. Noctis shifted uncomfortably, the bullet wounds feeling disturbingly wet and cold.

"I got it!", Prompto called, voice overlapped by the sound of more gunshots, and Gladiolus eased him down behind cover.

"Noct!", a few slaps to his cheek startled the royal.

"I'm fine-", was his voice really that shaky and quiet?

"Like hell", he felt Gladiolus tugging his jacket off and groaned, the movements irritating his wounds. Ignis settled down right next to them to inspect the damage.

"How many hit you Highness?", the usually unruffled man asked, his face tight with concern. Noctis thought hard, trying to recall how many of those burning sensations had occurred while the fighting was going on. How had he not felt it? Every other time he was shot he had _definitely_ felt it.

"Three? I think- Agh- Gladio-!"

The man was pulling Noctis's shirt up, and the feeling was not pleasant at all.

"Shit. He's lost a lot of blood. What the hell were you doing Noct?"

"Saving your asses", he grunted, jaw tightening as they helped him lean forward.

"Three exit wounds, three entrance wounds. We'll need to check him for more later, until then we'll heal these." Ignis broke several hi-potions over the wounds, which sealed up into mostly healed injuries. An ether helped fend off unconsciousness and broadened his vision, which had darkened considerably and grown spotty. The heavy feeling in his limbs lightened.

"Where's Prompto?", Noctis asked, taking his bloody jacket back. Everything was blood covered so it didn't really matter if he put it back on, but it definitely felt peculiar and gross.

"Checking the area for more snipers. He should be back shortly, let us retrieve the Regalia."

Right. The car. Somehow it stopped being so important when his friends were in danger. Prompto was waiting when they got over to it, facing them while they walked towards the car. He smiled, though his clear blue eyes were anxiously running over Noctis.

And then his expression abruptly changed.

"Uh- Guys-?"

Noctis looked back, and his chest tightened in alarm and recognition. He took several quick steps forward to greet the man.

"Ravus?"

The last time he saw Ravus was the day that Niflheim killed Queen Sylva. He looked so different now, his entire demeanor stiff and cold where before it had been open and carefree. The clothes he wore looked like an imposing cross between Tenebrae and Niflheim, and-

His sword was drawn and swung up to point at the young royal's throat. Noctis jerked his head up, eyes dropping to watch Ravus's hand. The other prince advanced, forcing Noctis back towards the car. There was something in Ravus's eyes, something calculating and questioning that the Lucian royal hadn't expected. Like the Tenebraen was trying to figure something out.

The threatening action was not one that his friends could tolerate. Immediately, Gladiolus moved to defend Noctis by putting himself between them, but the son of Tenebrae moved quicker, twisting his wrist so that the blade dug against Gladiolus's throat dangerously— far differently than it had pointed to Noctis's. When Ignis leaned forward to attack, Ravus raised a hand to stop him… A hand that extended up towards an arm that was definitely not his own and certainly _wrong_.

"You, the Chosen King…", he was watching Noctis, even with several threats next to him. His gaze was unwavering— and in his eyes Noctis saw something familiar. An unwillingness to bow down to fate, to give up.

 _What is he resisting?_

"Tell me, _heir_ ", he spat the word, "what intentions do you possess by casting such a storm over the oceans? The Fulgurian's blessing becomes a weapon in your hands."

Noctis flinched, and Ravus forced Gladiolus to step back as he advanced.

The two princes stood with several feet between them, but that air was thick with energy.

"All I want", Noctis said, his voice hardening, "is to save Luna, and save myself."

Ravus's sword dipped down a hair, and then left the Shield's throat. Wisely, everyone remained still.

"If the Chosen should fall, that too is fate", he said, his eyes unmoving, as if testing Noctis's ability to understand.

"It won't be mine", the black haired man replied, voice strong. He wasn't going to accept it.

The tension on Ravus's face bled out, replaced by a look of resolve and warning.

"You'll find that hard. There is something worse than the Gods hunting for your power."

"Ah-ah, my dear boy I'm afraid you aren't meant to be giving away so much to the other team", the voice could only belong to Ardyn Izunia, and Noctis had to grit his teeth when he saw the man. His friends pulled tighter to him, closing any gaps in their defenses.

Ravus, Noctis noticed, wouldn't look at the man. He could understand why. If Ravus had seen what this man really was… The prince couldn't imagine being forced into associating with him. And Noctis was sure that Ravus was, in some way, forced. He could see it in the man's posture, in the way he accepted being waved away like an unruly child.

There was more to Ardyn than him simply being a monster.

"Now then, Highness, I'm sure you're most eager to be on your way. I'm here to help you with that."

Gladiolus shifted, easing Noctis back and out of sight a little. The prince didn't like the look Ardyn gave Gladiolus— like a man interested in the bug under his foot, before he squashed it. Ardyn smiled slowly.

"And how is that?", Gladiolus challenged, fists clenching.

"Why, I've taken the army away haven't I? Now all you need is for the storms to blow over and you can make your way across the sea. I'm afraid you shall have to await my company there, we've business to take care of with the Sea Goddess as well."

Ardyn's voice was cajoling, almost as if speaking to a child. It riled Noctis to no end, but Gladiolus still stood between him and Ardyn. Ignis too had eased in front, blocking Noctis completely. Prompto remained at his back.

Was that a whine he heard from his friend? It was very quiet, but there. He didn't take the time to glance back, not willing to take his eyes from Ardyn's direction. It was something Gladiolus had taught him— don't lose track of your enemy.

"Well then… Since his highness isn't feeling very social, we'll cut this meeting short. Farewell, Your Majesty", Noctis caught a glimpse of the man before he was ushered into the Regalia by the others. Gladio pushed him across the seat to where the big man usually sat, keeping himself between the prince and the Chancellor. Ignis drove them out quickly.

There was silence until Gladiolus spoke.

"If we can avoid that guy, we should."

"He always manages to find us. If we knew how…", Ignis sounded frustrated. He was driving faster than usual, and tapping nervously at the wheel as he glanced back out of the rearview repetitively. Noctis saw Prompto lean against the window and look out, and felt tempted to ask him how he was doing. He didn't though, and leaned against his own.

 _What could be worse than the Gods…?_

* * *

"There was nothing we could do!"

Iris's voice was choked with grief, and her eyes were flooded with tears as she tried to remain strong, to sit tall in the black leather of their hotel room chair, but her posture was bowed by guilt. Gladiolus took a small step forward, but the suddenness of his own sorrow halted him. They should have been there; Jared shouldn't have suffered for them. Shouldn't have died for them.

It didn't stop Noctis, who stood fast. Gladiolus was about to speak up, tell the prince to sit down before his hot head made him do something stupid. Noctis yanked open the door— and found Talcott standing right there, about to reach for the handle. Gladiolus didn't expect the prince to sink down onto his knees and draw the child to him for a hug.

The room was suddenly filled with quiet crying, and Talcott attached to the prince firmly.

"I-I", the child's voice was muffled by Noctis's shirt. Talcott couldn't get the rest out as he cried, and Gladiolus felt his heart ache. Talcott was such a good kid. It wasn't right that he had to lose another person, not after Insomnia fell and his parents fell with it.

"They're going to pay", Noctis said, his voice steady and determined, "They won't get away with this. And you'll be okay."

Talcott nodded, and started to pull away.

"Th-thank you, Prince Noctis", but Noctis didn't let the boy leave, and instead kept a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, sit down while we figure things out."

Gladiolus felt pride through the grief weighing his shoulders down at seeing the royal caring for the kid. That was strength he'd been looking for, an ability to stand tall in the face of anguish. Noctis led the kid over to his bed and sat down beside him, letting him be part of the conversation of what happened and what they should do now. Jared's death was like a harsh slap of reality, reminding them that the world was not filled by fantasies of Gods and power, but tragedies and realities that they had been separated from by their journey.

Noctis took charge of it, and fronted the gil for a decent funeral. Jared would be buried in Caem, not left forgotten in Lestallum. They laid him to rest under one of the large trees, overlooking the coast. The funeral was somber, but it seemed to do Talcott some good, and Gladiolus stayed at the headstone for several long minutes after the others had walked back to the cabin.

"I'll look after him."

Just like how Jared had kept watch over him and Iris throughout their childhoods. He wasn't going to just drop Talcott with Iris, the kid was too smart to sit around doing nothing for long. He'd discuss it with Noctis, come up with a plan. Nothing might happen for a few years, but he figured Talcott needed some time of peace first anyway. Iris did too.

But, he knew, both of them would come back stronger.

A bark caught his attention in the distance, and he turned in time to see Umbra pass by him. Heart suddenly pounding, Gladiolus jogged after the dog. Noctis nearly flew out of the cabin and down the steps, kneeling down to get the journal from the dog.

The prince let out a breath and looked up, meeting Gladiolus's eyes as the others filled the porch. There was a hint of uncertainty, but the resolve that Gladiolus had so often seen in Regis's eyes was there, undying.

"We're going to Galahd."


	9. The Long Road ptI

It took an entire, unbearably long week for them to be ready to go after Luna. A lot of planning had to be done, and in the meantime there were a few things to finish up with. The group had split in half, Noctis and Ignis going to the Malmalam Thicket to investigate rumors of a tomb while Gladiolus and Prompto were joined by Cor for an assault on an imperial base, Fort Vaullerey. Gladiolus was eager for some payback after Jared's death and had heard that the man responsible was the Commander of the base, Caligo. The infiltration proved successful. Cor took the murderer with him for questioning while Gladiolus and Prompto quickly drove to the thicket and waited for Noctis and Ignis to leave it. The battle with the Bandersnatch was difficult, and they definitely were distracted by the absence of their friends, but the beast eventually fell and Noctis claimed the Scepter of the Pious.

Everyone was relieved to meet back up, the group balanced again, and set to the task of transportation. They would have to cross the mountains to the west of Lestallum in order to reach Galahd since the only tunnel through had been sealed with immense cement blocks. After the last of the refugees passed through in M.E. 747, four years after the attack by the empire, beasts and daemons had started finding their way through and made the passage unusable. The sealed tunnel necessitated alternative transportation through the wilds, and that meant Chocobos. The problem there was that they would surely need the birds for longer than one week, and they weren't altogether sure if the man would be willing to part with the birds permanently.

Prompto was hopeful, and Noctis was tentatively excited by the prospect of actually owning the birds. Thankfully, after all that they had done for the man, Wiz parted with the birds fondly, trusting the creatures to their care.

Unfortunately, using the Chocobos meant leaving the Regalia behind. Cindy had been their go-to girl, and she quickly agreed to keep the classic car in storage until they returned, and to drive with the truck up to the tunnel with them, birds in the back while they gave the car one last run. They swapped there, getting the birds out and putting the Regalia into the truck, and were on their way. The birds were heavily weighted down with supplies, but they weren't making the Chocobos sprint on the long trek. The hardest part would be crossing the mountains and finding the other end of the road.

"Are there any havens in Galahd?", Prompto asked, his bird hopping over a small fallen log. He patted the feathered creature's neck and got an affectionate 'kweh' for it.

"I'm not altogether sure", Ignis said quietly, but Gladiolus made a frustrated noise.

"They did, but I'm not sure if they're still there. I used to see them when my mom took us to see family up there", he said, his gaze a bit troubled. They had left Iris and Talcott to Monica and Dustin, both loyal Crownsguard, with Cor sometimes visiting, but the man still worried. Noctis could see him trying not to, but they had never gone so _far_ before. They wouldn't even be able to contact anyone once they passed through the mountains. More than leaving Iris and Talcott behind, Noctis was startled by the reminder that Gladiolus's mother was from Galahd, and that his friend was old enough to remember it before it fell. Not by much— he had only been ten when the attack happened, while Noctis was seven, but apparently he remembered enough.

"Woah, you've _been_ to Galahd already?", Prompto asked, surprised and curious. Gladiolus shrugged uncomfortably, falling silent.

"Gladio lost his mother to the chaos in Galahd when she went to aid in the relief after the attack", Ignis said quietly, and the mood grew somber. Prompto rubbed his neck uncomfortably, and Noctis reflected on the faint memories he had of it all. The attack that left him a wheelchair happened not long after the events in Galahd, and so he remembered little of it.

"How… Bad was it? I mean I always heard back in Insomnia that it was bad but…"

Gladiolus sighed, and gripped his reigns tight until his Chocobo dipped her head down to pull the reigns looser. He patted her neck in apology.

"Bad. Half the population was killed in the bombings, and the demons killed a lot of people after that. The biggest city there was called Garanhai…", Gladiolus's voice was steady, and Noctis was proud of his friend for being able to handle what had to be painful memories. It was a bit of a wake-up call, actually, to remember that the war had touched them long before Insomnia fell.

"Even dad left Insomnia to go up and help. It was horrible", Noctis did remember that, and vaguely remembered his father returning with a boy who had roamed the castle for a little while before a place was found for the refugee with his family, who made it to Insomnia without the aid of the King. Noctis never saw him again, not up close, but had found out when he became a Glaive. His name had been similar enough to Noctis's own, but he couldn't quite recall it.

"Woah… I… Didn't know that either. So they sealed the tunnel up because of the daemons… How could anyone get through?", he asked, "What if someone wanted to go back? Or someone needed to get to Insomnia?"

Ignis took over, because Noctis didn't rightly know the answer and that made him feel ashamed. It had been a hard period, overshadowed by Tenebrae, but he should have known that. For Gladiolus, if nothing else.

"The Kingsglaive gave his Majesty enough leverage over the council to propose continued relief to Galahd. Every few months a shipment would be taken by sea to provide food and supplies, and to carry people in whichever direction they wished."

"Oh…", Prompto's face screwed up in confusion, "Then why aren't we taking the ships there?"

Gladiolus snorted.

"They aren't running anymore", he reminded, a little harshly. Insomnia had fallen, the council had fallen, and King Regis, who most supported the continued aid, was gone.

"Not to mention ocean travel this far north is highly discouraged. The daemons of Galahd have grown exponentially, and taken to the ocean. There are also the beasts to keep in mind… The northern regions supposedly have much larger creatures."

Nobody wanted to be stuck on a ship and under attack by daemons or beasts, least of all Noctis, who truly didn't swim all that well. He could manage long enough to survive, but extraordinarily poorly. He didn't even swim recreationally.

The topic of Galahd's past was dropped, to be resumed another time.

* * *

"Um, guys? It's getting dark."

Prompto's voice cut through the quiet that had settled on the four travelers, pointing out their newest problem. They had rarely made camp anywhere but a haven, and never in unfamiliar territory.

"Mm…", Gladiolus made a quiet, rough noise to acknowledge the situation and halted his Chocobo. Her grey feathers blended in well to the dark bark of the trees, and she let out a little warble, shifting her wings.

"Might as well settle down for the night. I haven't seen a better spot since we started moving."

They had covered roughly ten miles, a little less than what Gladiolus would have liked. Wiz had said that they could cover fifteen to twenty in a day, provided weather was good and the terrain wasn't too difficult. That took into account hourly stops to let the Chocobos rest and graze on nearby berries, bugs, and grasses. Gladiolus had been unsure if the stops were really necessary, but Wiz had assured them that they didn't want to wear their birds out and that the stops were a requirement to taking care of the Chocobos.

It helped that he got a chance to walk around every hour and stretch his sore muscles.

He watched Noctis swing himself off of his still unnamed Chocobo. He had named his own after her feathers and was calling her Slate, while Prompto called his male Chocobo after the sun, naming him Solar. It fit the bright orange bird.

Ignis, like Noctis, had yet to name his new companion.

Soon enough the birds were let loose, since they tended not to roam far, and the Shield had gotten busy erecting the tent. Noctis and Prompto were setting up their chairs and the fire, while Ignis got the canopy for their feathered friends set up.

They had some perishables to eat, and so Ignis pulled the meats— along with the flasks of ice magic which kept them cold as a convenient bonus to the magic— from his bird's saddlebags and got started cooking dinner.

It was well after dark when they began to get tired, and Prompto was the first to retreat to the tent. Noctis was gazing steadily into the fire.

"Something on your mind?", Gladiolus asked, and Ignis glanced away from their dark surroundings to look at him. He rose his brow and shrugged a little. He knew that Ignis generally preferred not to pester Noctis about anything that was bothering him, and Gladiolus usually felt the same, but the prince didn't look _upset._ More contemplative, and that was an expression Gladiolus usually only saw in the car.

Noctis finally tore his gaze away from the fire, missing the exchange.

"Eh, not really."

"Come on, you thinking about Lady Lunafreya?", the tank asked, grinning a little bit. Noctis's lips quirked up, but he didn't blush and so Gladiolus knew he _hadn't_ been thinking about the Oracle. Damn. It was funny to rile Noctis up about it, though the teasing had died off after Insomnia fell. Those first days though…

"Nah, just… There's a lot I gotta learn before I'm king. And a lot I wanna do."

Ignis's attention was caught by that, and he made a small noise of inquiry. With Noctis sharing easily, he felt comfortable asking.

"Oh?"

"Well, get rid of the daemons first. Not die is right up there too. But… I guess I want to unite Lucis. I mean, it's all my kingdom, but it's not really connected."

Gladiolus hadn't expected such a serious answer. It was one of the increasing moments that, when he looked at Noctis, he saw more and more of Regis. Of a king.

"If we manage to take down Niflheim, that territory will also belong to Lucis", Ignis added thoughtfully, and Gladiolus snorted.

"At that rate Noct will be King of most of the world. Except for Accordo", his expression grew questioning as he looked to the prince, who met the Shield's eyes in confusion.

"I believe what Gladio is wondering, is if Accordo will fall to Lucis as well. They have the unique position of being a Niflheim territory while retaining independence", Ignis clarified. Noctis made a thoughtful noise and leaned his elbows onto his knees, looking back into the fire.

"Guess it depends on how things go. I don't know yet."

They fell quiet for a while longer before Noctis sighed quietly and rose, departing into the tent. Gladiolus jerked his head towards it when he and Ignis locked eyes and spoke.

"I'll take first watch."

They couldn't afford to all sleep at the same time. That was a luxury reserved for havens, where no harm could come to them. Once, a red giant had prowled a haven in Duscae, trapping the four until morning. It had been an anxious night, but knowing they were protected had been reassuring. At the time, they had been no match for daemons that strong. Now they could hold their own, but it would still be a dangerous battle that they likely wouldn't walk away from uninjured.

The night was a still one, the mountain air crisp and clean without a breeze. It was just cold enough for Gladiolus to stay awake, unable to get comfortable in the chill and smart enough to not put his jacket on to get warm. Being cold, at least faintly, would help him remain aware.

Still, he wished he was in the tent sleeping between his friends. The idea of sleeping alone was starting to get rather strange— they were always at least in arms reach, even in motels. He smiled faintly. _Never expected to get this comfortable sleeping with three other guys._ It had been hellishly awkward at first, learning to camp like this, but by now they were all familiar with it and had gotten over most of the awkwardness.

 _Damn good thing, too,_ he thought. He reached down to grab his water bottle, taking his eyes off of the forest around them just long enough for the Chocobos to pop their heads up and shuffle nervously. Gladiolus rose his drink slowly and watched them, trying to figure out if they were sensing something dangerous around or just unsettled by the night. The fire had died down, and he hadn't added more logs to avoid attracting attention, but it was highly possible for something to be stalking them. The scents of four prey birds and four humans had to be strong.

Gladiolus dropped his bottle and readied himself to summon his sword as a puff of hot air made the camp-fire smoke drift towards him, and leaves and sticks were crushed no more than ten feet away. He got ready to stand— but it was a very good thing he didn't, because into the dying fire-light appeared the massive horned head of a Kujata. The beast was even larger than the one they had seen in Duscae, making it _far_ too big for him to feel comfortable so close to it. Dark eyes found his, and the hooved animal snorted again. Its largest horns, not unlike antlers expanding on either side of its head, were so large that they were lost to the darkness. Even its head was immense, as long as a man was tall and much wider.

Gladiolus stayed rooted to his seat, unwilling to startle the creature into a charge by standing or summoning his War Sword. It was a moment filled with energy, the Shield wide awake and entirely incapable of slowing his racing heart as the herbivore stared him down. While kujatas weren't predators, they were massively aggressive and plenty powerful.

Gladiolus did _not_ want to be gored to death by it. Or crushed by hooves that could kill him with one stomp or kick.

The kujata moved a few inches closer, the camp-fire the only thing separating them in the darkness. He held his breath, eyes locked with the creature's dark, wild, untamable gaze. The kujata blinked slowly… And drew back into the darkness, gone as silently as it had come. The Shield sunk into his seat as he let go of the breath he had been holding, and rubbed his face.

"That… Was awesome", the whisper scared him to his feet, setting his heart off all over again. Prompto was laying in the tent, head and camera poking out.

"Are you fucking kidding me?", he asked, hands settling on his hips as he searched the area again, on alert, "You were taking pictures?!" He was going to strangle the blond.

"Dude, it was just standing there! I _had_ to!"

* * *

When morning came and everyone was eating breakfast, he would ask to see the pictures. And while he was miffed about them being taken in the first place, he was the first to admit that they were pretty striking.

They didn't run into any other animals until the second night, when they were all seated around the fire. The Chocobos had gotten restless and wandered closer to the fire, Noctis's dipping her head over his chair back and resting her beak on his shoulder. He raised a hand to pat her reassuringly, gazing out into the dark with worry.

"Do the eye trick, Noct", Prompto said uncertainly, hugging Solar as he settled down next to the blond.

Noctis glanced at Ignis, who nodded. They were being careful with his ability to see in darkness since the gift was known to Gentiana, possibly indicating that it was connected to the prophecy. With Ignis's approval, Noctis closed his eyes and focused his magic, not unlike when he was funneling elemental energy into a flask, and felt it concentrate in his eyes.

When he opened them again, the forest looked so _alive._

"Woah…", his voice was quiet, awed. The trees… He could see every leaf, lit up bright against the dark sky, and veins of light running through the branches and through the trunk to the roots. It was beautiful, and amazing. His friends, like the last two times, were lit up as well. He wondered how he hadn't realized something was off when he had his nightmare and left the haven in Leide to be alone, but reflecting on it Gladiolus and Ignis hadn't been quite so bright, and neither had his surroundings. Just bright enough that he could see where he was going in the dark.

 _It's getting stronger?_

"What do you see?", Ignis asked.

"The trees. And you guys- and the Chocobos. Everything's bright…", Noctis answered, caught up looking at his friends.

"Everything living is", Ignis clarified, "I had my suspicions…"

Gladiolus shifted, and patted his bird as Slate shivered next to him, practically laying on him. Big scaredy birds…

"That's great. See any predators?", the tank asked.

Noctis turned his head and looked through the trees this time, peering around. He could see the occasional animal, getting fainter with distance, which usually ended up being a rabbit or a bird… But there, not too far off… Something was crouched down.

"There's something over there", he said, pointing to the north and uphill.

"Can you make out what it is?", Ignis asked, and Noctis peered forward, leaning in his seat to try and get a better view.

"It… Has these weird…", strange, thin, whip-like things on either side of its head, almost like…

 _Whiskers._

"Fuck. It's a coeurl."

Gladiolus groaned, and reached out for the logs by the fire, quickly laying some on to try and discourage the feline from coming closer. Noctis watched it creep closer anyway.

"It's stalking us", he said warily, standing up from his chair. Gladiolus followed fast, and they were joined by Ignis and Prompto a moment later.

"Coeurls are deadly. I would prefer not to battle one so late", Ignis said uneasily, trying in vain to see through the darkness.

"How far away is it?", Prompto asked.

Noctis judged the distance to the best of his ability before speaking. "20 yards? 25?"

The estimation gave the others a better idea of where to look, but it was still too dark for them to see anything.

"And it's coming closer?", Ignis asked, a dagger appearing in his hand with a flash of blue.

The summoning apparently made the coeurl pause, though Noctis wasn't sure if it was out of fear or caution as it tried to sneak up on them. It didn't stay still for long though and started moving forward again, low to the ground and quick.

"Quickly. Think it knows we can see it."

It was rising, trotting now, gaining speed.

"Yeah it's coming!", Noctis pulled on his connection to Flame Tongue and feeling the weapon drop into his hand. Gladiolus drew his own, and Prompto summoned his guns.

The feline covered the distance fast, letting out a yowl when it broke into the fire-light. The Chocobos let out panicked 'kweh!'s and scattered, to Noctis's own panic. What would they do if the birds disappeared?

The problem would have to be sorted out later. The coeurl meant business, and the flash of fangs and claws in the dim lighting was terrifying. Gladiolus swung his War Sword and managed to leave a bloody gash across its flank, but the tough muscle prevented the blade from sinking far. The great cat was all strength as it twisted and lunged, getting a paw around Gladiolus's blade as he blocked and scratching his arm up bad. Prompto shot at the creature, sinking two bullets into its right side before it jumped away from the tank and towards the blond.

Before it could sink its fangs into Prompto's unprotected body, Noctis flung Flame Tongue and warped after it. The coeurl shrieked as its fur burned, the glow of fire spreading over its body before it dropped down and rolled, forcing Noctis to warp away. If any of them hit the ground, their life would be over in a flash.

They took advantage of the cat rolling, striking fast and hard. Prompto and Ignis kept their distance while Gladiolus and Noctis got close, the prince able to phase out of harm's way and the Shield able to block with War Sword.

But then the whiskers started glowing.

"Move!"

He felt Gladiolus barrel into him, throwing him away from the coeurl. He hit the ground hard next to the fire, raising his head in time to see the blast of lightning spread out from the beast.

Gladiolus dropped, his body gone completely stiff from the force of the current.

"Gladio!", Noctis threw Flame Tongue at the coeurl before it could pounce on Gladiolus's defenseless back and hung on tightly, the blade lodged in its shoulder hard enough that the feline couldn't put any weight down on its leg. Noctis summoned Engine Blade in his other hand and swiftly brought the point down on the cat's head.

The coeurl slumped down, dead, and Noctis leapt off it and warped to Gladiolus's side. He wasted no time yanking his phoenix down out of his pocket and pressing it to the man's chest. They nearly lost Prompto to electrocution early in their travels, and the prince was well aware of the danger.

The tail feather burst into flame, a wave of magic going through Gladiolus from his chest and out, restarting his heart. The tank's eyes opened and he gasped in air, jerking his right hand away from his sword. Noctis had just enough time to see a horrible burn on his palm heal, a result of holding on to metal while getting shocked.

"Oogh…", Gladiolus groaned, rubbing his chest slowly.

"Oh fuck that hurt", he muttered. Ignis kneeled down and offered him a potion, which he gladly broke to ease his aching muscles and fractured bones. Muscle convulsions were strong enough to break a bone clean through, but the phoenix down had done most of the healing.

"Is it dead?", Gladiolus asked, taking Noctis's and Ignis's hands as they helped him sit up. Noctis took a deep breath to calm himself and replied.

"Yeah, very dead."

"Good."

"Scared us there big guy", Prompto said, looking the Shield up and down to make sure he was alright. The phoenix down had done its job though, saving the man from almost certain death. That left them down to seven of the feathers and only two days into their journey.

"We'll need to be more careful of coeurls", Ignis said gravely, "anything that can do so much damage should be avoided at all costs. We simply don't have the resources to cheat death like this repeatedly."

He was right, too. Phoenix downs were horrendously expensive and rare, and not all outposts had them. The actual birds were hardly ever seen.

"Right. So next time, we run", the Shield grunted, and fell down into his chair.

Nobody said anything when he fell asleep minutes later, slumped in his seat and head tilted back, too worn out to be bothered by their conversation or by them dragging the coeurl away. The Chocobos thankfully returned, warking nervously before piling around Gladiolus.

Nobody but the tank slept well that night.

* * *

Noctis caught Gladiolus drifting off on his Chocobo the next day, his head dipping down in sleep as he recovered from the shock of _dying._ He hadn't been brain dead, but the electricity had stopped his heart and left him unconscious. He easily could have died in minutes. The rest of the group was tired too, but it was the third day of their journey and they were excited to finally be gaining elevation. The downside of finally getting up the mountain was that the steep incline left their Chocobos more tired, and the grass began to thin along with the rest of the vegetation. They took what paths they could find, sometimes having to go miles out of the way before they found a way up. They were in the higher peaks when nightfall fell on them again, and they all agreed to forget the fire and huddle in the tent to keep warm since the wind was blowing hard and carrying small flakes of snow with it. They had found more than a few ice patches, and amongst the peaks some snow deposits.

It was a tight squeeze, but that night Prompto insisted on letting the Chocobos into the tent. Nobody could lay down and instead had to lean against the birds, but the complaints about the space and smell died off when the air in the tent got significantly warmer and they all had a bird to cuddle into. Prompto took the opportunity to take snapshots of Ignis and Gladiolus both solidly asleep against their birds, and to take a photo of Noctis's Chocobo messing with his hair.

It looked neater when she was done, and Prompto had to muffle his laughter into his saddle blanket.

The next morning, the fourth day of their trek, found the air outside cold and the stone path they were following iced over. The tent itself was stiff with ice, despite the warmth inside.

Ignis left to relieve himself and returned red faced, snow clinging to his lashes.

"It's going to be a hard morning. I'd advise preparing for a longer trip today. Stopping for breaks will keep us from getting through the storm in any decent amount of time."

Getting the tent packed away was difficult, since the canvas kept catching in the wind so forcefully that Noctis and Gladiolus were scooted towards a ledge. Unwilling to let the tent go, they wrestled it down and wrapped it up, stuffing it into its canvas bag.

They set off, none of them risking their Chocobos or their lives by trying to glide down ledges. The cold only got worse, as if it were trying to drive them back the way they had come. They were crossing a chasm on a fallen stone bridge in single file when a blast of wind, stronger than any before, forced Noctis's Chocobo back. The bird let out an angry screech and dug her talons into the stone, small wings flaring out. Noctis struggled to see ahead of them through the wind and the snow, feeling colder with every passing minute.

The thought that they should stop, find a place to wait it out rose up again, this time stronger than before. They couldn't keep forcing the Chocobos through this, and with a chasm on either side of them— their lives were in danger.

And then, through the wind, he saw a figure in black walking across the stone towards them.

 _Gentiana?_

The closer she got the calmer the storm grew, but the heavier the cold became.

"G-Gentiana?!", he said, unable to help curling his arms around his body and hunching his shoulders. The Messenger's eyes were closed, but her expression was distinctly unhappy.

"O King… Halt the progression of your deviance, return to your destined path", she said, and the cold drove his Chocobo down, making her curl up. Behind him, the other Chocobos did the same. Gentiana's hands rose, and Noctis flinched heavily when her fingers touched his cheeks. The cold spread through his entire body, numbing his mind.

"See, King of Kings… The future you may bring."

* * *

 _He looks up, and the sky is black. As dark as the night, and heavier. There's something about it that feels wrong, like he should be looking at something other than darkness. It should be light— but the sky is clouded by something thicker than tar._

 _He feels different too, he realizes as his gaze slowly drops back to the death in front of him. The land is burned, fires scorching far out in every direction. Embers burn beneath his feet, which are bare and smudged with ash but entirely whole and undamaged._

 _There is no emotion in his chest, just knowledge. The world is destroyed, but he does not care. The sky is dark, but he does not care._

 _He is so far above it all that there is nothing he cares about anymore._

 _Noctis blinks, his gaze fire-orange and gold, and turns. Behind him kneel three figures, and they resemble the friends he knew once, a long, long time ago. Time and power has twisted them, has turned them into something other than human._

 _It began with him, when he accepted more power than he could control. Like fire, it burned through his being._

 _The figure in the middle is Prompto, bright hair bled of shine and color into a pale gasp of yellow-white. His eyes are still blue, but so dark they could almost be black. Tattoos line his skin starting at his right wrist, at a bar code that Noctis never knew of until he learned of_ _ **that**_ _and nearly flayed his faithful companion alive. The tattoos follow a pattern of jagged lines and squares and other symbols that Noctis knows to belong to daemons._

 _Prompto is a daemon, and the muted off white feathered wings stretching behind him ensure that everyone knows it. There was nothing they could do, when Noctis shared his power, to prevent the inner darkness from showing. Prompto was never all human._

 _Now he is not human at all._

 _Noctis smirks, a parody of the smile he used to wear, and his fangs catch on his lower lip as his jaw tightens. His hair is long, longer than it has ever been, and it drifts with a smoke-filled breeze._

" _Noct…", Prompto's voice is worn, sad, almost trembling._

" _What have you done?", Gladiolus's voice is ragged, but he looks stronger than ever. His muscled body hasn't changed, except perhaps to grow broader with age, and his tattoos are darker than ever. Sometimes, though, he gets angry and the phoenix tattooed on his body glows like the real thing. His eyes are bright, golden, also inhuman, but containing a humanness that Noctis no longer possesses. The once Shield takes a step forward, and summons a blade— a blade that Noctis doesn't know. The summoning is different too, the weapon forming in his hand through wisps of darkness._

" _He doesn't know what he's doing anymore", Ignis speaks, and Noctis lifts his head, gazing down his nose at the man who was once his controller. Ignis has the mark of Noctis's flames in his hair, which glints and occasionally flashes the same color as an ember. The man was given a role to control him, to ensure that he followed the narrow path laid out for him. Now, Noctis is free. Ignis remains his favored, as all three of them do, but he is the one who walks most dangerously. The one who comes closest to truly angering Noctis, taking over a job which was once Gladiolus's._

" _We have to end this."_

 _Noctis laughs at those words. He gestures behind him, and forms words that he's almost forgotten how to speak in his senseless destruction._

" _She said that too."_

 _And when he twists to look, the Oracle lays dead, her white dress bloody and blackened, her skin burned in a mimicry of the only sensation he ever feels anymore._

 _Burning._

 _And when he raises a hand, he sees his fingers, calloused and pale, tapering into long black claws._

* * *

Noctis carried the images of that future back with him as he returned to a body he knew. Flames lingered in his vision, dancing across the ice and stone. He looked at his hands and felt his heart stutter, the ghost of claws weighing his fingers down. Gentiana's eyes were open when he looked back up, hands shaking, and saw her lower her arms.

That was a future that terrified him more than his own death. What kind of world had he created in that vision? One of death and destruction?

And all because he was in pain?

"I would never do that", he whispered, his eyes locked on hers. Lines of unease formed between her eyebrows. He got off of his Chocobo, who warbled softly at him, and walked up to the Messenger who quickly stepped back. She seemed almost afraid as he advanced through the cold, a strength he didn't know he had surging up through his chest.

" _That-_ I could _never_ do that! Not to my friends- my family!", he was so angry the words left him in a yell, and her surprise was evident.

"You must-"

"No! Titan showed me my death, Ramuh told me what the prophecy means. This game that you're playing- you, Bahamut, Ardyn- I've had enough of it! I will make my future my own as a _King!"_

His chest heaved with the struggle of getting oxygen through the cold and high altitude and the force of his words. His hands were drawn into fists as he glared at her through his bangs.

"Help me, or stay away from me."

Her eyes closed, and she turned away, but he caught the flash of pain in her expression.

"I will await you, Chosen King, with the Oracle", her voice was unreadable to him. She disappeared with a gust of wind— and with her went the storm. Noctis looked up at the clear sky, the last shards of doubt within him crumbling away.

 _I'm King. King of Lucis._

He pivoted in place, slowly, and looked at his friends. The memories of their faces, tired and pained, haunted him for a long moment. With what had just happened, he expected to see uncertainty and fear as a man defied the Gods, the planned fate, a destiny in the making for thousands of years.

Instead he saw pride, loyalty, and love.


	10. The Long Road ptII

**Chapter Warning:** Violence and depictions of death. Things are going to be getting more graphic from here on out, the rating will be going up. Chapters which contain particularly gruesome images or triggering situations will be marked with a chapter warning.

* * *

Gentiana's departure signaled the ending of the storm, a curiosity which didn't go unnoticed by the four though they had no workable theories for her strange powers other than that she might be able to borrow the power of the Gods. The group finished crossing the fallen ledge serving as their bridge and made camp on the other side of the chasm, taking the rest of the day to recover from the cold and to let their Chocobos rest. Noctis shared the vision with the others around the fire, warming his hands which felt the chill in even his bones. He left out a few details— such as the bar code he had seen on Prompto's wrist, and only reluctantly shared that he had seemingly killed Luna. The idea made him feel sickened, just the thought so intensely repulsive that he couldn't believe it was possible. The barcode had troubled him with conflicting urges— ask Prompto, or don't? He had glimpsed it before, but thought nothing of it until the vision. Now, he knew it had some importance. What that importance was he didn't know, and what it meant for their futures? There was no way of telling without asking. And with how careful the gunner was to always keep it hidden, Noctis knew he couldn't outright ask. He didn't know _how_ to ask either. Until he could figure it out, he decided to leave it alone.

Ignis was the first to suggest that the vision might not be genuine, which made him lean back in his seat to think it over. There was no real way of telling, was there? The idea that is was fake pissed Gladiolus off and made Prompto quiet. Noctis resolved to figure it out for his friends, but he was putting little stock in it either way. He _wouldn't_ let that happen.

Still, he was worried about Luna. He hadn't heard back from her since he sent the journal back with Umbra telling her that he was on his way to her, which hopefully meant she was angry and not hurt. He could deal with her anger even if he would rather avoid it.

Nothing else really mattered as long as she was safe.

Another cold night and Chocobo filled tent left them sleeping cramped next to each other but warm. According to Prompto it was cozy. The next morning they moved out again, taking it easy for the Chocobos who were beginning to tire and therefore develop attitudes. They managed to find a way through the mountain and began their descent while carefully sticking away from ledges or fragile overhangs. At one point they thought a fight inevitable as they were being forced under a Griffon's perch, but the beast didn't move to attack and merely watched them.

When they broke upon the open air again and gazed out into the land, they fell still, each man drawing in a breath of shock.

Before them lay Galahd, a land rich with trees larger than any of them had ever seen. From their view high in the snowcapped mountains they could see only a few patches of grass, the dense foliage forming an unbroken mass of green wherever they looked. It was an amazing sight. The horizon was far away.

"Hold on- I've gotta get a picture of this."

"Damn right you do", the Shield breathed.

They gave him his minute to do it before moving on and starting down a narrow, rocky path. They were traveling faster than ever, eager to get down, but the hours wore on and eventually they had to settle down for the night. They were out of meat and unwilling to venture far with the area so unfamiliar, but the open air gave them enough visibility to wander and search for any bird nests nearby. They got lucky and managed to secure a half-dozen or so, which Ignis worked into their dinner for some added protein.

They were all around the fire when a giggle, high pitched and strangely rough, fell through the darkness. Prompto shot up, his eyes wide, and Noctis wasn't feeling too far off from the fear the gunner was suddenly displaying. That giggle was familiar. He knew what kind of daemons made noises like that—

An imp— or rather goblin— jumped out from the dark, swinging a wide, crescent moon blade at the nearest person, which happened to be Ignis. The serious man called his daggers forth just in time to defend himself and throw the small daemon away from him.

"God _damnit"_ , Prompto yelled, firing his guns furiously at the little creature. Noctis knew that where one goblin was, there was always at least two more. It only took a moment for him to call forth the energy and blink his eyes, letting the world light up. Like last time the trees down the mountain were bright, but their leaves made it look like an ocean of light. The camp-fire was too bright and painful to look at, a side effect of his eyes growing more sensitive, but the goblins around their camp were perfectly visible.

After that, it wasn't difficult to take them down. There were a few nasty scratches left behind, but those were easily treated with potions. Gladiolus elected to stay up and keep watch, but the four were uneasy and unable to sleep.

"What do we do if more show up?", Prompto asked, scuffing his shoes against the dirt and rocks.

"If it's just goblins we can take care of them", Ignis said, but he too sounded concerned. Noctis sighed, and looked around again. He was facing out from the fire to spare his eyes, which were beginning to ache strangely.

"Anything else and we might have trouble", Gladiolus added.

The presence of daemons after a few nights without trouble was enough to keep them all up well past the time they would have normally went to bed. There was another group that Noctis saw coming from a distance away, more goblins, but thankfully no giants or flans, which in the dark would have been more difficult to survive than ever. When morning came they were all exhausted, and all eager to get their journey over with. Spending the day riding hard got them down the barest parts of the mountain and into the trees, which they quickly realized would be problematic.

The branches and leaves were so thick that the area was cast in constant shadow.

"Think there are daemons?", Noctis asked quietly, easing his reigns back to stop his Chocobo, still unnamed.

"Likely. It's quite dark", Ignis replied, his own bird shuffling under him and peering into the forest with deep brown eyes. He had decided on calling her Magna. The advisor looked over to Noctis, gauging the king's mood, and then back to the forest.

"If we've followed close enough to our chosen route, we should have ten miles of forest between us and the other side of the tunnel. Travel will be easier on the road. The decision lies with you Noct, do we continue on?", Ignis spoke quietly and pulled his glasses off to clean them with a cloth he pulled from his pocket. They acquired dust particles throughout the day, and sometimes a Chocobo feather amongst the normal smudges that, regrettably, could not be deterred with even gloves.

Noctis glanced at the sky and judged that they would have right around four hours of daylight left to them. If they continued they would arrive on the other side in time to set a camp in daylight on the open road. If they stopped, they would risk facing another sleepless night before entering the forest, an option that was more dangerous.

"Let's get going", he said, and nudged his bird on.

They set a quicker pace than normal, urging their tired Chocobos to continue. The avians seemed to understand the necessity of making it through the forest and went without complaint, keeping their pace even when the time for a break came and went.

Ignis raised his hand two hours in, halting his bird slowly. Noctis looked to him, blue eyes shadowed by the dark. They had passed some goblins or imps earlier, but the little daemons had been unable to keep up with the Chocobos.

"What is it?", Gladiolus asked, his back straight as he used the added height Slate provided to survey the area. He then saw what had drawn Ignis's attention— three ice bombs in the distance, which hadn't yet noticed them.

"Daemons", Ignis spoke, for Prompto and Noctis, "Ice bombs, specifically. I believe we should go around them."

They never fared well against the bombs, whatever the variety, and did especially poorly when tired. The creatures required constant attacking to prevent them from overcharging and exploding… A deadly consequence of their power.

"Sounds good to me", Prompto said, and Noctis nodded his acquiescence as well. They moved slowly, keeping the bombs in sight as they circled around and continued again on their journey. The forest was growing darker as they approached the thickest part, halfway through.

"Have you guys noticed that there aren't any animals here?", Prompto asked quietly, and Noctis looked around slowly, contemplating using his magic-powered sight. However, he'd developed an awful headache the night before and sharp pains in his eyes that discouraged him.

"Yeah. No rabbits, no wild dogs… Not even a bird…", the young king replied to Prompto. It was a distinctly chilling environment, void of all noise but the sounds of their Chocobos stepping on dry leaves and brittle sticks. The birds themselves were uncommonly quiet, not a 'kweh' or a chirp leaving them.

"Think it's the daemons?", Gladiolus asked Ignis quietly, the hair on his arms standing on end with his unease. Something wasn't right about this place.

"I couldn't say for sure", the bespectacled man replied, "there are daemons in the forests of Duscae that don't disturb the natural fauna…"

They moved on carefully, going mile by mile, and eventually had to turn on their flashlights. The Chocobos were silent, and moving cautiously in the dark.

"It shouldn't be this dark", Gladiolus said, looking up at a broad expanse of inky darkness, "there should be some light. I can't even see back the way we came."

He rolled his broad shoulders to loosen his tense muscles while Ignis checked their direction with the compass and looked at the map. Prompto got some greens out for his Chocobo while they were stopped and fed her, leaning forward in his saddle. Solar took a few steps back in response, and Prompto felt his back press against something.

"Huh?", he tried to turn to look behind him, but something kept him from being able to twist around.

"Guys-!", his alarmed voice drew their attention from the map immediately. Noctis urged his Chocobo to the blond and Solar, who was pacing in place agitatedly. At first, Noctis didn't see anything, but when his flashlight shined on Prompto—

Web.

"Something's got me! What is it?! Guys!", the gunner's voice was nearing panicked as he struggled. The more he moved the more the web was shaken, and Noctis began to get a very bad feeling about that.

"Prompto stop! Stop moving!", the prince said. Gladiolus cursed behind him and got closer.

"You're fine, it's just web", the Shield said, and took a dagger Ignis handed him. The two moved closer to inspect the fine silver strands, each one as thick as one of Gladiolus's pinkies. He grabbed Prompto's arm and tugged a little, trying to dislodge him.

"Ow! Ow! Don't do that!", the whine was clear and loud. Noctis winced.

"We'd best move on, quickly. Cut him down", Ignis said, grabbing the blond's other arm to steady him whilst avoiding the web himself. It expanded far above their heads and into the darkness of the branches.

Noctis felt very perturbed by that web, and followed it up, pulling on his energy to summon his sight. When he tried, he was overtaken by a powerful stinging sensation and he ducked his head, rubbing at his watering eyes. When he drew them away there was no beautiful glow of the forest, and he felt his stomach sink. Had he used too much energy? Had he strained his eyes?

"This isn't working", Gladiolus grunted, tugging on the dagger which was now apparently stuck to the webbing as well.

"Guys, it's in my hair. Get me _down_!", Prompto cried, his legs kicking a bit and making Solar chirp quietly in distress.

"We are trying", Ignis said, a low undertone of frustration in his voice. He let his daggers dissolve and leaned back on Magna's saddle, thinking.

"Fire?", Noctis suggested, summoning a small flame to his palm.

"Give it a go", Gladiolus spoke in approval for the king's quick thinking.

"But carefully", Ignis stressed.

The web burned much easier than it could be severed but didn't spread far. A sticky gel-like substance was beaded every few inches along the strands, and when the fire touched the beads it would fizzle out and die despite there only being a few centimeters width to the gel.

"We'll have to get the remaining webbing off of you later", Ignis spoke, glancing up before straightening from his leaned position and seating himself properly in his saddle. Prompto let out a shaking breath of relief as he was freed. He encouraged Solar to take a few steps away from the webbing, and when Noctis saw his back he couldn't help laughing a little. An entire section had come away with the blond and remained stuck to him. It looked— interesting.

"Don't laugh! Who knows what made that! And it's pulling my _hair_ -"

As it would turn out, they would get to know exactly what made the webbing. They succeeded in getting perhaps twenty feet from the spot Prompto had been trapped in, being careful not to run into any more low-hanging strands that they saw, when the steel-strong silk around them vibrated. There was a pause, and then another vibration that they all noticed and stopped to stare at.

And then the unholiest of screeches tore through the air like a siren, startling the birds thoroughly and causing a standstill panic amongst their feathered friends. They had no time to calm the birds and get them moving again, because from up above came the most terrifying scuttling sound and the trembling groan of the trees around them.

A massive, spiderlike daemon dropped from the darkness, another screech filling the air but with a desynchronized echo that took them a moment to identify.

Unlike most Arachne they came across, this particular one hosted two women at the upper body. They were pale, blueish in appearance with sharp markings and distorted faces, their torsos naked. They had jagged features to go with their spindly legs, and huge fangs in their wide-set jaws. And they looked furious. Prompto's struggling had seemed normal to them— another fly caught in their trap, another meal to wrap up when they pleased. However, the cessation of his struggles had alerted them to something being amiss. Prey did not go through those woods often enough for them to simply let Prompto go… And now that they had seen not only three other human meals but four avian ones, the Arachni was in hot pursuit.

The birds took off, scared from their standstill, dashing away with their riders still on their backs, tightly packed to each other and hopping fallen logs, ducking webbing which was growing ever thicker almost in unison. Noctis had no complaints— the Arachni was the largest spider daemon he had ever seen, far more ferocious than what he had been expecting. He had thought an Arachne likely after seeing the webs, maybe even two, but that was a daemon they could handle with relative ease if they were careful of the lightning based attacks! This was a daemon they were completely unfamiliar with!

"The webs are thickening!", Ignis yelled over the crash of the Arachni leaping from one thick tree to another. The trunks shuddered as she landed on them, sometimes scuttling in-between on her webs, placing her eight legs with perfect precision between the sticky gel beads.

"Gunna have to fight!", Gladiolus yelled, halting his Chocobo and throwing a leg across his saddle to hop off immediately. Ignis was the next to stop, and Noctis in his usual fashion threw himself off, landing agilely before he whipped around. Prompto skidded Solar to a stop and jumped off, jogging up behind Noctis.

"I can't move with this web on me!", he said frantically, standing stiffly and straight. Noctis summoned Engine Blade, hand tight on the handle.

"Then stay back!", he said sharply, throwing his blade up and warping as the Arachni dropped. The action took him into the uppermost branches where they had come from, and his flashlight briefly shined on a horrifying sight.

Bodies, wrapped in silk and hollowed out with death and being fed upon, hung suspended throughout the branches above them.

Noctis let himself drop, his gaze moving fast to the Arachni below who was already charging up for an elemental attack. Lightning shuddered up her legs, coiling around the four arms of the two upper torsos, making their hair stand on end. Noctis aimed his blade right at her and flung it, hoping to throw the attack off. No one had enough room to dodge such a devastating blow, and when he glanced at Gladiolus— illuminated by his own flashlight— Noctis saw that he had swung into a web after the Arachni dodged a blow and had gotten War Sword stuck. A flash of blue and the sword disappeared from the silken strands, but that moment left the Shield undefended.

Thankfully, Noctis's blade distracted her well enough. Engine Blade sunk deep into the shoulder of the woman on the left, protruding through the other side, and she screamed out.

Unfortunately, the other woman didn't feel her pain and grabbed Noctis by his jacket, flinging him hard to the ground. He had just enough time to warp, landing on one knee, before he swung his sword again to gain distance.

Gladiolus had called War Sword again and now flung it hard through the air. It lodged into the Arachni's lower, spider-like body and spilled black blood onto the ground. The woman on the left was bleeding heavily after Noctis's attack but didn't seem defeated, instead appearing more furious. Prompto fired from behind him and Noctis saw the whiz of one of Ignis's blade go by almost simultaneously, the bullet and dagger lodging into the injured creature. The silver metal sunk into her belly, just before she connected to the singular body, and the bullet left a bleeding hole in her chest.

"Aim for them, not the body!", Ignis yelled, dodging with Noctis as she charged them, legs stabbing into the soft earth. He warped under them, drawing their attention as the right sided-torso followed the direction his sword took. She had learned from his first strike and would not lose track of him.

"She's targeted Noct!", Prompto yelled, trying to get closer to provide more light to them. The effort took him too close though, and when she backed up from another of Gladiolus's swings he was knocked to the ground. The sticky webbing at his back connected solidly with the earth underneath him and held him fast.

He couldn't get up.

"Noct!", the fear in his voice was obvious as the spider moved over him, her legs not unlike a cage. She hadn't yet noticed he was below her, but it was only a matter of time with his struggling.

The young king felt his heart lurch for their blond friend, and he pulled on the power of the kings, summoning his armiger. The act would leave him exhausted, but better that than to lose a friend they had no hope of reaching.

The blades of his ancestors lit the area as he warped rapidly, attacking the Arachni duo viciously and proficiently. The one that was already injured soon slumped over, and her side of the spider-body weakened, but the other female screamed at him and dodged with surprising agility, sustaining serious but not life-threatening damage.

Still, she was weakening from the blood pouring out of her companion.

Noctis warped out of her strike zone, eyes moving to Prompto who was still struggling desperately. There was primal fear in his gaze, and Noctis thought back to all the times his friend had been in a tough position before. If Prompto didn't have escape as an option, he grew very panicked.

And his panicking was attracting her attention.

"No!", Noctis flung engine blade and warped after it, catching it in midair just above Prompto. He summoned his own greatsword as his feet touched down, using the broad blade to defend the gunner as he stood over him.

The force of the blow she had struck with her leg made his arms cave and his sword's flat edge hit him powerfully in the chest, knocking the air out of him. He too hit the ground, and he heard Prompto yelp as the king fell against his left side.

"Noct run!", he felt Prompto pushing at his arm and had a moment where he realized how _selfless_ his friend was.

Instead, he summoned a shield, equipment he was less familiar with but which was large enough to hopefully save them. Flat on his back and tight to Prompto's side, he held the shield with both hands and braced for impact.

The impact was a hard one, the Arachni struck at them with two legs which took his breath again and made his arms hurt with the force of the blow, but which didn't make his arms give out. It was easier with his hands gripping the handles and his elbows bent tight, holding the shield as close to them as he could and bracing his upper arms against his chest.

It still hurt like fuck.

"Highness!"

Ignis's fright was obvious in his shout, but was swallowed up by Gladiolus's war shout. The man swung his sword and cleaved through two legs of the Arachni, driving her off balance, and before she could regain it he used the momentum of his swing to carry him into another, twirling to deal another harsh blow that took another leg.

The Arachni fell to the side, away from Prompto and Noctis, but the king had to readjust as the remaining female swung the legs of the spider-body towards them. He rolled to his right side, dropping the shield's edge hard against the ground, and was driven back against Prompto by the kicking legs colliding with the front. The gunner let out a grunt of pain, but his left arm came up and crossed over his chest to grip Noctis's sleeve.

The king and the civilian didn't see what happened to make the kicking finally stop, but it did a few moments later. Ignis's boots hit the ground loudly as he ran over.

"Noctis! Prompto!", Noctis saw his relief when the shield dissolved and the two were relatively unscathed. They had both sustained bruising, which would later darken almost black against Noctis's forearms and chest and Prompto's side.

"We're good, we're-", Noctis glanced at Prompto and his voice fell silent. The gunner's eyes were shut tight and he was clutching his right wrist.

"Prompto? Is it broken?", Ignis asked, and the blond's eyes popped open. As close as they still were, Noctis could feel his heart racing. In case the gunner was hurt he moved away, rolling to his knees to check the young man over.

"I'm sorry", the gunner said, his shaken voice tinged with upset, "I was an idiot. I got too close and Noct had to-"

He closed his eyes again and his grip on his wrist tightened. Noctis recognized it as an action of habit— when Prompto felt upset or uncomfortable, his hand often went to his wrist.

To the barcode.

Gladiolus had reached them and was breathing a little heavily, his skin lined with a faint sheen of sweat that Ignis shared. Dodging the attacks of a daemon were much harder without the ability to warp.

"Noct is the idiot. Are you trying to give me a heart attack?", the man growled, cuffing the back of the king's head. Noctis didn't even try to dodge the gentle hit when his body was starting to ache so much.

"I thought your shield was going to give out after using the armiger."

"Nah", Noctis said quietly, "I had someone else to worry about. Couldn't let it go."

The words didn't have the comforting effect he intended. Prompto's expression flashed with pain before he turned his head away. Feeling guilty, Noctis gently tapped the blond's arm, close to the barcode that was hidden by bracelets and a tightly gripping hand. Prompto looked back, startled.

"Hey, you're worth it", the dark haired man said, hoping that would help.

It did. A small, unsure, but happy smile crossed the gunner's face.

They wanted to get away from the area as quickly as possible, but the task was harder than simply hopping on their Chocobos and going. The birds would not approach them so close to the Arachni's body, and Noctis's legs wouldn't hold him up for long despite an ether and a potion helping his worn body, so the task of walking to the Chocobos was made more difficult. It was further complicated by the fact that they were having trouble unsticking Prompto from the ground, and the blond's unease with being trapped hadn't abated. They couldn't cut the strands off of his back and couldn't burn them off, something the gunner was distinctly uneasy with anyway because the webbing was directly against his back and head. Gladiolus suggested digging the soil out from beneath Prompto.

"Would get him free and solve the sticking issue until we know how to get it off", he said. With no other real options, he went to get the shovel from Slate— and then stilled when he saw a blue light in the forest. It was heading straight for them, and was extremely bright. Too bright to see what was making it. He summoned his weapon and was joined by Ignis, who called his daggers up at Gladiolus's side.

"Hey! You people alright?", it was a woman's voice, and as the light got closer a figure got clearer. A woman with black hair pulled up into a ponytail, her olive skin lined and scarred by battle and brown eyes wary but friendly. She was dressed up in leather armor, not too different from a hunter's, but with bone accessories. The bones, oddly enough, were black. Most of them were wide, slightly curved but mostly flat pieces to adorn her outfit as armor. A sword was strapped across her back, about as wide as Gladiolus's palm and an inch thick.

"Yeah", Gladiolus said, lowering his sword slightly. He looked as surprised as Noctis felt. He hadn't expected to see anyone else out there— and definitely no one alone.

"You four are crazy to be travelling without a haven rock. What are you doing out here?", she lifted her light, which turned out to be a lantern with a glowing blue chunk of rock in it. It looked familiar, and was glowing like the etchings of a haven.

"Trying to reach Garanhai", Ignis said, letting his weapons disappear. The woman's eyes went wide when she saw him do that.

"How'd you do that?", she asked, and her gaze got sharp very quickly, roaming the group, "Everyone lost that power when the king died. How do you-"

Her eyes had strayed past Gladiolus and Ignis to find Noctis, and just the sight of the young king, even seated on the ground and tired from the battle, was enough to quiet her. She obviously recognized him. Gladiolus stepped in front of her to block her sight, regaining her attention, while Noctis leaned to the side to try and see her again.

"Who are you?", he asked tensely.

"Paroli Descov. Former Kingsglaive", she said quietly, "and that over there is the prince- the king- sorry. This is… Really unexpected."

Noctis forced himself up even though his legs shook, and moved out of Gladiolus's defensive shielding. His brows had dropped and his eyes were intense as he looked at her.

"Were you there? Do you know what happened?", he asked fast.

"Yeah, I mean, there's not a whole lot of people left who do but… What are you doing out here? This is no place for royalty." Her posture shifted as she changed the topic, and she eyed the Arachni warily. "I guess you've already figured that out."

"Yeah, we have. We didn't expect to see anyone until we reached the road though", Gladiolus said.

"We try and search the forests for anyone passing through, reach them before they get killed", Paroli said, "which they do, unless they have one of these." She lifted her glowing rock again, and Noctis's fist clenched. He wanted answers about Insomnia! About his father!

He glanced to the side when Ignis touched his arm, sending him a quelling look. He needed to calm down. Answers would come, but they had to get Prompto free and see if she would help them to Garanhai.

"So you find people and take them where?", Gladiolus asked, keeping his tone lighter, less defensive. Noctis envied his ability to carry on speaking when there was something eating away at him— he knew Gladiolus had his own questions.

"Garanhai, of course. It's the only place left really. I've got a small group, a few other Searchers and a few people who came through the forests from the coast-line, we're heading back. Should take about three days to get there once we clear the infested part of the road where we left our truck…", she put a hand onto her hip but didn't really shift her weight, glancing over them and then at their Chocobos.

"You're welcome to come. I just gotta wonder what you're doing here, I thought you'd be in Altissia waiting for Lady Lunafreya."

Noctis couldn't contain himself.

"Have you seen her?!", he asked fast, tone dropping with worry. Paroli leaned back a bit at his fervor, but didn't look very disconcerted.

"Your Majesty, she was getting ready to set sail for Altissia when I left the city. I don't know that she's still there, but she was doing just fine when I saw her. She seemed tired, but alright." She looked past Noctis, seeing Prompto on the ground.

"Speaking of health, is your friend there okay?", she asked, concerned, her ponytail swinging as she stepped closer.

"Oh, I'm good!", Prompto said enthusiastically, and a touch sarcastically, "Glad to see someone remembers me! I'll be unstuck before I know it!"

Noctis ducked his head in a laugh, relieved that Luna was okay and that Prompto was feeling good enough to complain. He eased back over to the blond and sat before his legs could give out. Prompto offered him a sympathetic glance and patted his knee.

Again, the barcode drew his attention. But it wasn't the time or place to say anything.

"Would you mind terribly if we traveled with you?", Ignis said, adjusting his sleeves. He was reading as much from her as possible, but she didn't give away much when she wasn't speaking. She seemed observant.

"Of course, it's why I'm out here. We'll find a way to fit your Chocobos in the truck too…"

Once Prompto was freed they got on their way, travelling easier with Paroli's assistance and the light of the haven-rock, which she explained was a fragment taken from a haven rune. The rocks were capable of repelling daemons and offering a portable sanctuary, smaller than a haven but just as strong. Their power hadn't yet been conquered by the daemons of the area which were intensely powerful and numerous, and for that the inhabitants of Galahd were thankful. The rocks were a temporary fix though, as they would grow dimmer the longer they were away from the haven they originated from and were in limited supply. It was a long day for the four men after an equally long night, though they couldn't tell the time without looking at Ignis's watch. They were able to rest considerably easier in the presence of the light and the absence of daemons when they stopped, and Paroli revealed that water reduced the stickiness of the webbing and with repeated treatments got it off of Prompto. He was utterly grateful and, in the way that he often acted around pretty women, was eager to show the older woman their pictures and tell her stories of their journey. It helped bridge the unfamiliarity between them and the formality she expressed to Noctis, and made the trip to the rest of her group pass faster.

Before they knew it they were with other people, traveling under the immense, webbed, and domed branches which arched over a beaten and cracked road. Daemons kept their distance, and when they reached the truck everybody and the Chocobos squeezed in, the solution found by a few people volunteering to sit on the roof. Noctis was not allowed to.

And soon enough, Garanhai was in their sights.


	11. When Tempers Clash ptI

Garanhai was nothing like Gladiolus remembered. The city was once sprawling and lively, full of people who had an appreciation for nature due to their seclusion from the rest of the continent. Now, the population was reduced by more than half and confined to the innermost parts of the city, which was walled off by metal barricades and lined with glowing haven stones.

"What's that?", Gladiolus asked, noticing another barricade encircling something like a camp on the outskirts of town. It was crudely built, and only had four or five stones set up— leaving part of it vulnerable to daemons on the eastern side. In the last few days the four men had really noticed the scarcity of daylight in Galahd. The sun appeared in the sky as late as ten and set as early as two, something they were all having trouble wrapping their heads around.

"An unsolved problem", Paroli said grimly from the driver's seat. Noctis was in the passenger seat, leaned against the window and peering out towards the barricade entrance. Gladiolus could see the king's intense expression despite his still posture and knew it was because Lady Lunafreya was there. The risk of her having left was small, the Shield was pretty sure that without a way to sail for Altissia she had remained in Garanhai. They hadn't heard from Ramuh and Noctis hadn't summoned him, but the storms along the coast hadn't let up either. There was also Gentiana's word to go on... Apparently she was waiting for them with the Oracle. The Shield wasn't sure whether he liked that or not. Whatever her job, the Messenger was definitely messing with them. Gladiolus was almost sure that vision was false; a vision from a God was one things, but a Messenger? And for that matter, there was no way to prove that the vision would come true… He and Ignis would never let something corrupt Noctis. Hell, they'd been redirecting Noctis, without much need, ever since the royal had gotten out on his own. With as much money and power as he'd had they had never needed to worry about him doing anything foolish… Aside from driving too carelessly and too quickly.

"Of what variety?", Ignis asked about the small encampment, seated on a bench running along the side wall of the truck's back. Gladiolus was seated against the opposite wall, a searcher next to him and two other people sitting on the same bench as it extended down. On Ignis's side were another two searchers and an older man, approaching his sixties. He was quiet and morose.

The other travelers had lost people going through the woods.

"Well… The people in there are all infected by the disease." Her tone was quiet. Gladiolus leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and studied the side of her face.

"Disease?", he grunted, uneasy by the word. What exactly did she mean by that?

"The plague. It's how daemons are made", she said it as if they should know, but everyone straightened with surprise.

Except Prompto, seated in the middle of the Chocobos on the floor. Gladiolus didn't see him hunch down a little and reach out to pet Magna. Solar was settled behind him.

"What? Daemons come from people?", Noctis asked, his entire body turned towards her, "They- what? Turn into them?"

The implications were horrific. All this time— they had been fighting regular people? Victims of a— disease? It made Gladiolus's chest ache. He had sworn never to harm a Lucian citizen, had gotten his scar on his face from not striking out at one, but all this time…

Ignis sighed softly and looked down when Paroli nodded, murmuring a quiet affirmation to the king, who shifted in slight discomfort at her tone. Gladiolus could see that, despite wearing the title a little more comfortably, Noctis still shied away from any external reminder of who he was.

"I didn't know", Noctis said, his voice strained, "Is there anything to help them?"

Paroli moved like she was going to shrug, but then chose a more formal response. Gladiolus knew Noctis would have preferred the shrug.

"No, your majesty. Lady Lunafreya can help them, but when I was here last it tired her greatly. I don't know if she can do anything for them now."

It was a sobering statement, to know that their people were suffering and turning into such twisted creatures. If there was nothing they could do… It just didn't sit well with Gladiolus.

"Why are they kept apart like that?", Prompto's voice was quiet, and he had shifted a little to stare uneasily out of the window. Gladiolus thought he looked pale, but it might have been a trick of the light. Ignis's gaze lingered on the gunner longer than his, until Paroli replied.

"It's just safer", she sighed.

She sounded uncomfortable.

Gladiolus saw a rough metal gate sliding open as they approached, their entrance going mostly disregarded… Except for the woman standing just inside, her blond hair twisted and pinned up and her blue eyes intense. Gladiolus knew her image well enough to recognize the Oracle, if the two dogs and Gentiana at her side weren't a dead give-away.

 _Here we go_ , he thought.

* * *

Noctis felt his breath catch when he saw Luna and let out a sigh of relief. She looked fine, and less tired than he would have thought after the covenants she had performed. Maybe the time forced to stay in Garanhai had done some good for her, given her a chance to relax. She'd been moving _damn_ fast since Insomnia fell.

He couldn't read her expression exactly, but when he jumped out of the truck before it had even pulled to a stop, eliciting a bark of disapproval from Ignis, her face lit up in a smile. A grin took over his own, and he slowed from his jog some feet away from her, taking the sight of her in. She was so much taller than she had been when they were kids, but he was taller than her now! And she wore her hair up rather than loose. Her clothing was white, as it usually was, a dress pulled from somewhere in Garanhai to replace the one she had travelled in.

They spent a moment just looking at each other, and then she crossed the last of the distance between them. Her hands were raised, laid over each other, and resting at her chest.

"Noctis… It is… So good to see you, finally", a hint of a laugh carried on her voice, and her bright eyes made him blink and drop his head, peering up at her in glances. As strong as he was and as much as he was struggling against his fate, he hadn't been prepared for the utter shyness he felt at seeing her again. The last time… They were children, and they had spent a few weeks together thoroughly enjoying each other's company. Friendships formed fast when a person was young, and the journal had let them talk over the years, further cementing that friendship. That had been a simple friendship, until the terms of the peace treaty had been announced. The marriage arrangement had muddled things up a bit, made everything a little awkward between them, and made the roles they were meant to play a little too real. Not only that, but where he had been resisting his fate, she had been pushing onward for hers… Whatever that might be.

She took another few steps forward, until she was just in front of him and able to duck down, getting into his line of sight. She looked amused, happy… But almost pained, her radiant smile having died down into a trembling one. He noticed her hands clutching at her dress a little.

"It is!", he agreed, the words leaving him like a punch forced them out. He hadn't meant for his silence to be taken badly! He heard the truck doors opening behind him. "I just- it's been so long Luna."

Her distress eased, and he could see that she understood, which was a relief. Luna had always been good at reading between the lines.

"Would it help if you were sitting?", he was startled by the statement, the almost teasing nature of it catching him off guard. The reminder of his wheelchair was a sweet one not because of the healing he had undergone from his injury, but because of the days he spent being pushed around by Luna along Tenebrae's halls and fields. There was a sweetness to it that he hadn't expected to feel, especially with how things turned out. But her eyes now… They were quietly beseeching. She needed something from him, something familiar. It must have been strange for her too.

"Sure", he offered, and glanced back at his friends. Ignis was watching carefully, looking at not only Luna but Gentiana, while Gladiolus held the reigns to the Chocobos. Prompto… Looked dumbstruck by Luna.

 _Well, I know how he gets_ , Noctis thought. If it was pretty the gunner loved it, regardless of what it was. Luna was beautiful, something Noctis would only admit internally, since he was sure he would be unable to get it passed his lips.

"I believe we will survey the area and settle the Chocobos down", Ignis stated, earning a noise of question and disappointment from Prompto.

"Yeah", Gladiolus added, "Go catch up."

Noctis jerked his chin down in a nod and stepped after Luna as she turned to guide him. As he moved, his gaze slid over Gentiana's and he felt a chill crawl up his spine. Her dark eyes met his, unblinking, stoic, but the slight downturn of her lips signaled a frown.

He tightened his jaw and passed her, following Luna into a nearby building. There didn't seem to be electricity, and instead there were lanterns suspended at the ceiling in every room. The open curtains helped bring in light though, brightening the dancing shadows on the walls. She showed him to a room that looked similar to an office, which seemed to be in use if the maps all over the walls were any indication. She walked to one of the maps, fingers raising to ghost over the browned and wrinkled paper, and looked it over before giving him a sidelong glance. She turned to face him more directly, and examined him long enough that he was feeling the urge to duck his head again, but he kept his neck stiff. There was a tension in the air that hadn't been there when they were outside.

"You made a promise to me, back in Tenebrae", she said, "that you would rid our star of the scourge."

The words rang uneasily in his heart. Was she doubting him? It provoked an unpleasant sensation in his chest, like uncertainty pressing out from inside his heart. It was something he had been repressing since he chose this path, trying to be the confident king he was expected to be, but unable to forget that when he looked at his own reflection all he saw was an unsure prince gazing back at him.

"I'm going to", he said, his voice coming out stronger than he expected, "Nothing about that has changed."

Her eyes grew conflicted, and she raised her hands to cross them over her chest and lay them on her forearms, up near her shoulders, in a posture that bothered him immensely. It was as if she felt unsafe around him. Shouldn't she know that he would always try to keep her safe?

"Then why do you stray from the assured path? Noctis, this has been in the making for a very long time. Thousands of years…", she took a few steps towards him, her arms falling, thin fingers spreading and pointing down at her sides as she spoke again, "Please, it's not too late to do what's right. Nothing has been permanently altered, we can set sail for Altissia and awaken Leviathan for the next covenant."

Her pleading gaze tore at his heart, but he couldn't back down from what he had chosen. It was his decision, one of the few that were truly his own. The choice to forge his own path was not a machination of the Gods or a heritage passed down through his line, a duty that he should perform. He wanted to survive, and if that was selfish, it was the only true act of selfishness he had ever done. His life had been lived accepting his role, his protests of the weight of his burden miniscule despite his friends' teasing.

"It isn't wrong to want to live", he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Luna faltered, looked unsure for a moment, and then pushed the pain that sentence caused her away. She didn't want to see him die either.

"There's no guarantee of your death", she said, curling her fingers over those of her other hand in front of her.

Noctis frowned, and shifted to one leg as he looked away. His gaze fell on the wooden desk, littered with papers.

"Titan showed me", he said, uncomfortable with it. The image was still one that plagued him. His father's sword… He didn't know where it was, or who had it, but he would one day be reunited with it if he followed his fated path.

He wanted it with him, but not like that.

Luna was quiet for seconds that seemed to stretch on forever. She seemed almost about to speak, some question on the tip of her tongue before she silenced herself again. Another few seconds were spent regaining her composure, something that also bothered Noctis. Why couldn't she speak what was on her mind?

"Gentiana told me that there was a vision, and you had been corrupted in it", she said, and stepped away from the map to seat herself on a leather chair, the material worn and softened by age, the black faded but not by much. It took Noctis a moment before he did the same, and perched his elbows on the arms.

"Gentiana isn't a Goddess", Noctis said, a hint of reproach in his voice, "I know that she's always been there for the Oracles but…"

"In that, young King, you are mistaken."

The hair on the nape of his neck rose as Gentiana appeared, walking from behind his chair. The doorway was in his sight. She had not entered through it.

"What?", his voice was quiet. Her eyes met his, that same chill in the air that he had been recently feeling when he saw her picking at his fingers and bare arms.

"The First King ascended under the blessings of Bahamut, and I, mankind's guide", she spoke just as softly, "Bahamut sacrificed an eternity of life and freedom so that he might power the crystals, his gifts to mankind, so that _they_ might conquer the Star Scourge."

Noctis had heard this tale before, but never so personally. There was shock winding its way through his chest at the knowledge that Gentiana was a Goddess, and he wracked his mind to know what exactly that meant. It meant that a Goddess opposed him. It meant that Titan and Ramuh were opposed to the will of another Astral.

It meant the vision was a true one.

He felt numb at the realization, and didn't know that he had paled. He felt foolish, and horrified. Gentiana had seen him kill Luna just as clearly as he had. The young man couldn't bring himself to look at the young woman in front of him, or to break the connection between his and Gentiana's eyes.

"The era of Gods perished", she continued, "the time for man rose as the dawn. I remained their guide, keeping always on the rightful path… Yet my favor fell most foolishly on one, the strongest King of that era, and to him I gave a gift."

She closed her eyes, her usually unreadable expression drawing tight.

"Bahamut was sacrificed so that your family, Chosen King, would absorb his might as the ages passed, that they could one day be able to conquer to Star Scourge, and yet I… I thought that I may be able to end it all with the great King. I gifted him a power to heal the Scourge, to absorb the daemons… I knew little of man's capabilities then. My gift became his curse. My act of deviation tore the man from his rightful path, and he, undying, seeks to destroy this world as I have destroyed him. He will succeed if we stray from the path… And I cannot see another great King fall prey to the folly of Gods."

"You're talking about Ardyn", Noctis murmured, his gaze falling to the ground. Was he a reflection of the man?

"Wait-", he looked up, a sudden realization forcing him to his feet, "then he was my-"

"He was of the Lucis line", Gentiana spoke when he cut himself off, "but even the Accursed One sees that none of that blood runs through his veins anymore."

Noctis turned away, uncomfortably aware of his heart beating loudly and the rush of blood in his ears. That twisted man was his ancestor? It was a sickening feeling, made worse by the memory of Ardyn in the vision.

"Come now, Shiva", the voice had Noctis whipping around. His eyes went wide when he found an elderly man in the room with them— Ramuh! And at his side— Noctis lost his breath at the sight of Titan, a man of immense stature, far taller than even Gladiolus. Little about either of them had changed, except that Titan now wore clothing, armor as black as the night that somehow made him all the more imposing.

"You cannot imagine to know the enemy, no matter how close you might have been to him", Noctis took several steps back to avoid Ramuh as the Astral crossed the room, circling the chair Noctis had been sitting in. The king's back was to a window, the light falling on his back warmly as the wintry air in the room grew colder.

Luna had stood up as well, just as startled to be in the presence of three Gods, and moved from the middle of the room purely through instinct. The two humans had eased out of the way of the Gods, though Noctis saw Titan's intense orange eyes follow them. He seemed to be checking Noctis's wellbeing, his eyes scanning the king thoroughly. The ebony haired man swallowed, nervous of all the power in the room.

"Is this where you have been all these years?", Ramuh's voice was roughened by age, but still strong. Much like Regis's, Noctis noticed with a pang. What made it worse was the undercurrent of disappointment in his voice, sounding all too much like Noctis's father.

Gentiana's eyes were narrowed, and her posture tense.

"I could do little to free you", she said, "only by his will would the seal break."

Ramuh did not step closer, but the distance seemed to close nonetheless between him and Gentiana. Shiva? Noctis could feel the tension in the air, far worse than anything he and Luna had experienced as they talked. The air practically vibrated with electricity.

In fact, Noctis's skin was tingling.

"Is that so?", Ramuh folded his hands in front of his robes, his long beard drifting with the slightest of breezes. Noctis glanced at Luna, who looked unsure and slightly frightened. He felt the same. It was easy to tell that they were in the middle of a painfully old argument. Humans had no place in the eye of this storm. If it came down to it, he'd give his all to protect Luna.

Her eyes met his, and she gave him a slight nod, determination set in her face.

 _In it together then_ , he thought, and looked back to the Gods as Gentiana's chill frosted the window panes, making him step forward as the warmth on his back suddenly disappeared. _The storm on the mountain makes sense_ , he thought, if she was truly Shiva. But how? The last he knew of the Goddess Niflheim had blasted her dead. His attention, which had not deviated despite his thoughts, remained on the Astrals.

"Did you not have his Trident?", anger ran thick in the Fulgurian's voice, "Or perhaps you were eager to keep me imprisoned?"

Gentiana's lips thinned and paled. Were they… Turning blue?

"Do you believe it easy?", she asked, "Do you believe my task simple? Bahamut undying legacy is left to the human kings, the trident's power lay there, in their hands! Could you expect them to free you? And when I passed it to the first Oracle, theirs was not a strength that could free you! It was only with the presence of the ring that it would obey the Oracle enough to free you, and it took the ring until this King to charge enough power!"

She grew silent, fuming, and turned away from Ramuh. It was the most emotion Noctis had ever seen from her. Ramuh seemed unfazed though, and made a quiet, judgmental hum. He seemed to not believe her. In fact, he didn't seem fond of her at all. Titan was impassive, his face hard to read, but he seemed to not take either of their stances.

"Ever eager to follow the path laid out for you. I suppose you would be though, what with the mess you have created. This Accursed One not only has a fraction of Bahamut's power but Ifrit's support as well." Here, Ramuh looked to Noctis.

"The Chosen King wishes to walk his own path. I will aid him, as will Titan."

Noctis's eyes flickered to Titan again, and he saw that the tall being still had not moved. Gentiana also looked to him.

"I am glad to see you free", she said quietly, "but you must know that we cannot let the King do as he wishes. He must gain Leviathan's power and go straight to Bahamut, this world will not last to wait."

Titan's immovable eyes bore down on her.

"My brother would not wish to sacrifice the boy", he said, in a voice that rolled and shook the walls faintly, a voice that had once shook the earth and Noctis's brain, "that is not his way."

Gentiana's fine black eyebrows rose in distress at his words. The discord between the Gods was nerve-wracking. Noctis didn't appreciate being left out of it all, but even he sensed that the arguing was about more than him. It was about Bahamut, and his intentions.

"That is exactly his way", she snapped, "that was the plan before he sacrificed himself to Etro's accursed crystal!"

"Where has she lain to sleep,Etro?", Ramuh asked, earning a startled look from Gentiana. She was far more animated among the Gods than she was the humans, but the question seemed to make her withdraw and grow still.

"I know not. I have not seen her since she gave the crystals and the ring to Bahamut", her voice was low. There was something in her expression then, something of dislike and another emotion that Noctis couldn't place. Etro was Lucis's Goddess, thought to look after the land and the kings. His father had said that when Lucian kings died she took them to make them her knights, to wage war against the blight. He wondered where she was, if not even the Gods knew.

Ramuh harrumphed at her unhelpfulness, and faced Noctis. His wizened eyes were kind, despite the frustration deep within them.

"Shiva will support you as we do. The hopes of this world lay with you, young King. Put all thought of the visions you have seen from your head, it is not wise to rely on them, and make your own path. As I know Bahamut would wish."

Now being directly addressed, Noctis felt like he could speak. Strange, how the presence of the three Gods had subdued him so easily. He almost felt ashamed— and yet, it had so clearly been the right thing to do. Their arguments were personal ones, and he knew nothing of Bahamut personally… Which was why he chose not to comment on the Astral.

"They aren't certain then?", he asked, glancing back to Luna, speaking of the visions.

Ramuh sighed, and stepped forward. Noctis almost shied away when his hand rose and gripped his shoulder, but remained upright and kept his posture straight. No slouching, or Cid would have his head when they got back to Hammerhead. Slouching in front of a God— irredeemable.

"Some", Ramuh said, his voice just as heavy as the gaze he had laid on Noctis, "are far more certain than others."

There was something numbing about that statement and those sad eyes. Noctis met them silently, reading what he could from them, until he nodded. He understood— Ramuh believed Titan's visions to be more truthful. He seemed… Unconcerned, for Luna. Noctis was glad, actually. He was beginning to think that the less attention you drew from the Gods, the better off you were.

The Fulgurian squeezed his shoulder briefly before letting go, and turning away towards the tall, armored Astral. Titan offered one small, fang-filled smile that made Noctis unsure of how he should respond, which seemed to amuse the Archaean, and settled on nodding to him too.

Gentiana only received a stare, and she met his eyes with her own stoic look before being carried off by a chilled wind that arose from nowhere. Ramuh and Titan disappeared suddenly, between one blink and the next, taking the energy from the room. With the Gods gone, Noctis let out a shaky breath and took a few unsteady steps towards the chair in front of him, and placed his hands on it to lean on the soft leather.

"We're out of the loop", he said quietly, and saw Luna sink boneless into the chair she had formerly been sitting in. Her posture was sunken, more downcast than he would have expected from her.

"We are", she agreed softly, and Noctis saw her hands shaking in her lap. "I never thought that the Gods would disagree on this. What are we to believe?" He could see that her faith was shaken. She looked more uncertain than he had ever seen or heard of her, even from their journal conversations.

"Ourselves", he supplied, testing the waters with her. Before the three appeared she had seemed intent on getting him to continue the chosen path, but after all that…

She rose a hand to her face, holding it there for several seconds, and then swept her bangs to the side. She took a deep breath, examining the coffee table between the chairs rather intensely. Then she looked up and met his eyes.

"We need to know what Bahamut wants. And Etro, if we can find her", she said strongly. The seventh Goddess was not one the world worshipped, but one that Lucis did. A Goddess of death. Luna flipped her hand over on her lap, palm up, and reached into her sleeve with two fingers, pulling from it a small and dark piece of metal.

"Here", she said, "it is rightfully yours."

The Ring of the Lucii. Noctis felt his heart stop, and took a few sharp steps back, the weakness in his legs worsening abruptly.

"I don't want it", his tone was shaking, almost fearful. Not his father's ring— even after these months trying to wear the position of the last Caelum, trying to prove himself worthy of his father's crown, he couldn't— he _shouldn't_ —

"It is yours", she said, and stood, advancing on him with an expression that clearly said she didn't understand why he wouldn't take it. "Your father wished it be delivered to you. Please, Noctis, take it."

Her entreaty made him pause, but he still didn't want to wear the ring. It was his _dad's_ , not his, just like the Regalia was his dad's. It wouldn't be right for him to just claim it, and to take it truly meant that he was gone, dead. That the throne was his, and that he would have to take it.

But that was what he was doing, wasn't it? Becoming king? He already was, if he was being honest, but… It was a harsh reality.

"Take it, Noctis", Luna said again, quietly, and offered it to him. He dragged his eyes from the ring to her face, and saw pain in her own blue gaze. Maybe she did understand, then.

He had to take it. It was his duty, his lineage… And one of the last items he had to remember his old man by. So he took it, the metal cold despite being kept on Luna's body the entire time. His fingers curled around the ring and he felt a dull ache spread into them, a numbness tingling right alongside it that felt entirely wrong. Shaken, he gaped at Luna, but saw only confusion in her eyes at his startled expression.

But before she could ask, and before he could put it on, he heard an enraged yell from outside.

Gladiolus.


	12. When Tempers Clash ptII

**Chapter Warning:** Graphic images of sickness and death, including minors.

* * *

"You're a Gods damned idiot!", he felt himself snarl at the words being thrown at him and caught the big hand swinging back at him, a retaliation against the punch he had just thrown as he lost his temper. His throat felt a little raw from the shout he'd let out after finally twisting around and clocking the limping man in the face.

The man in front of him was heavier set, not pure muscle like Gladiolus, but when he caught that punch he could feel the strength behind it. This man was no joke. A second punch by Gladiolus was thrown when he quickly felt arms curling around his arm and Noctis's voice.

"Hey hey big guy!", the king said, tugging back on Gladiolus as Lunafreya reached the other man. One of her hands fell onto his arm,

"Libertus! What's going on?", she asked.

"I jus' can't believe this guy!", the Galahdan shouted, making Gladiolus surge forward, but Prompto threw his arms around his left arm and held him back, "King's Shield! Ha! He walked the king right into Galahd he did!"

"You don't have any business judgin' me!", Gladiolus growled, trying to shake Prompto off of one arm and Noctis off of the other. Ignis eased between them, casting a severe glance back at the Shield. Normally, Gladiolus rarely lost his temper, and usually never had altercations with people like this, but the man had been needling at him since word spread through the town that Noctis was there. He couldn't take any more of it.

"I'll bet I fuckin' do! It's your job't protect the king and you're takin' him right into danger!", Libertus took an uneven step forward, his face so fiercely angry and superior that Gladiolus wanted to punch him again. The limping man had gotten _right_ in his face and questioned his place by Noctis's side.

"Yeah? The only thing you've been protecting is your food", Gladiolus shot off meanly, missing the distinctive sound of Ignis clapping his hand against his face.

"Gladio, just shut up!", Noctis said, and yanked at him hard enough to make the Amicitia stumble back a step. Gladiolus cast a wide-eyed look at Noctis before narrowing his eyes back at the Galahdan.

Libertus's fists were clenched as he stared back.

"You listen up, around here I'm the boss exceptin' for his Majesty. You don' know what things are like here, and you don' know the people or the daemons. So you're gunna shut up an' let me handle it, got it?!", Libertus's confidence and drive did nothing to ease how pissed Gladiolus was. Even if the guy actually knew what he was doing, _no one_ had ever questioned his position beside Noctis, and as everyone had just learned, it was a topic that got him easily riled.

"You can-"

"That's enough!", he was caught by surprise as Ignis barked out the admonishment, and pointed a firm finger at him before pointing behind Gladiolus.

"Take a walk!", he commanded, and Noctis and Prompto let go of him, both looking stunned and more than a little alarmed by his temper. Gladiolus himself was startled by Ignis's tone, having never expected to receive such reproach. He rolled his shoulders and glared at Libertus. The man's nostrils flared in aggression, which didn't help the Shield calm down.

He turned around, walking some distance off but not too far as introductions were made and apologies shared between Libertus and Noctis. Gladiolus just wanted the smug bastard away from the king.

He huffed and strode a few paces away, looking out at the unfamiliar area. What had once been a bright and cheerful place was now a desolate, crumbled ruin of a once great city. The cool blue shine of the haven stones had taken the place of street lights and the glow of advertisement signs, casting a film that reminded him of being underwater over the area. Fittingly, everyone he saw was muted. People were quiet, their clothes dull and drab not just because there were no working washing machines in the energy-dead Garanhai, but because the clothing helped hide them from predators. From what he had heard, only the meanest of beasts had survived the daemon onslaught. They had probably pulled Lady Lunafreya's dress out of a glass exhibit, with how pristine it was.

"Gladio, c'mon!"

The Shield looked back to his friends and saw Ignis and Prompto following Libertus down the road. Noctis was waiting for him, and by extension Lady Lunafreya. He crossed the distance quickly.

"What's goin' on?", he asked, casting a dark look at Libertus's back. He wanted to get a move on so they wouldn't have to deal with the guy, but if Prompto and Ignis tailing him was any indication, they were sticking around a bit longer.

"He's showing us where we can shack up. Cool it, will you? I never expected you to lose your head", Noctis said, sounding amused and bewildered. Gladiolus shuffled his weight from one foot to the other and looked away, honestly a little embarrassed.

"The guy's an asshole", was all he said in his defense.

They were led to a building that stood guarded by a few searchers, one or two who looked strangely familiar to Gladiolus. It seemed like he'd seen some of them before, at the palace, but… They hadn't been Crownsguard. He knew the Crownsguard well. Even so, they seemed to recognize the king and saluted him, fists rising to their chests.

"This is where we keep important stuff, like the haven stones and a lot of our supplies. We had a lot of people stealin' stuff before I got here with the others", Libertus said. He walked in and Gladiolus had to pause at the eerie glow the stones cast on the dark wood inside. The floors were dark while the walls were bright and decorated, but the decorations were old and dusty, sometimes damaged.

It all looked very eerie.

"What happened to the people who got caught stealing?", Prompto asked quietly, a question that Gladiolus had been wondering as well. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer.

"Well, firs' time there's a warning. Usually folk've got a reason for tryin' to take somethin', tryin' to help another person out or whatever. But the second time, or if it was for no good reason… Wells we pack 'em up and send 'em out."

There was a long quiet until Ignis spoke.

"I don't recall seeing any other settlements on the way here", he said carefully. Prompto was beginning to look vaguely sick, as if he wished he hadn't asked.

"Yeah", Libertus said, "There aren't."

Gladiolus thought that would be the answer.

"So's this'll be the king's room, right next to the queen's", Libertus said, "least until we can send you off on the ship. We'll have to make sure the water is still clear first. The rest of you's can take this one."

 _Queen?_ Gladiolus wondered, confused, until he looked at Lady Lunafreya. A quick glance at Ignis showed him that the other man was frowning.

She wasn't the queen. Hell, she wasn't even Noctis's fiancé right now. As hard as they had fought to keep up with her and as good of friends as she was with Noctis, that didn't make her their queen. Gladiolus wanted to see Noctis happy, and if that meant marrying Lady Lunafreya, great.

But they weren't there yet. And the assumption Libertus was making didn't sit well with Gladiolus. The Oracle herself didn't quite look comfortable with it either.

"Anyway, I've got stuff to do. I'll be back a little later to let you know about the boat", Libertus said, he gave a salute to Noctis and Lady Lunafreya before departing.

"…Noct? I would feel better if you remained with us", Ignis said as he slowly pulled his gaze away from the man. His intense hazel eyes found the king's blue. Noctis nodded, and looked to the Oracle.

"Luna…", his voice was unsure. She seemed to know what his confliction was and smiled small at him. The smile was very pretty, even if it was reserved. Gladiolus could appreciate her honest expressions, especially when Noctis was so closed off most of the time. The royal didn't wear his heart on his sleeve.

"I will be fine alone. Please, have time with your friends. Our discussions can wait…", he saw her eyes soften, "We have time."

The small smile that Noctis shared with her made the Shield pause. It wasn't one that he had ever seen on Noctis's face. Their king wasn't _in_ love, but he definitely loved her. Of course— that made sense. They never would have gone through all that they had otherwise. Deadeye, Titan, Ramuh, the countless battles in-between, and the difficult journey across the mountains.

Ignis dragged Prompto into the room before the blond could ruin the moment by _awww_ ing at the two. Gladiolus chuffed out a laugh and entered, followed by Noctis.

"Okay, so obviously a lot happened while I was inside with Luna", the prince said as he dropped down onto the bed. Prompto plopped down next to him, his expression dreamy.

"Noct, she's so _beautiful_ ", he said, "heavenly. She's an angel."

Gladiolus laughed and took a chair by a desk, while Ignis went and sat on the window ledge. It was an hour past noon and the sun was beginning to dip down towards the horizon, dimming the rays of light stretching across the room and brightening the horizon as if it were struggling to bless them with the last of its protective rays. Gladiolus didn't understand how the hell it could set so early. It wasn't like their planet was changing shape.

"I'll tell her you said so", Noctis asked, snickering as the blond's eyes popped open wide and he made a frantic noise.

"What! No! She'll think I'm a creep! I just met her for real!"

The last two words went unnoticed and Gladiolus rolled his eyes at the photographer.

"At least you got introduced", he said pointedly.

"You would have too if you hadn't decided to pick a fight", Ignis stated in response, taking his classes down to clean them.

"How did that happen?", Noctis asked. Gladiolus rubbed the back of his neck and leaned back into the chair.

"He heard you were in town and decided that I was to blame for bringing you to such a dangerous place", Gladiolus grunted. What stung was that the man was at least partially right. As the King's Shield, it was his duty to protect Noctis. Entering Galahd hadn't been the safest of things to do, but it was necessary. A quiet fell on the group, but it was only temporary.

"Sooo…", Prompto nudged his shoulder against Noctis's, "How did your meeting with Lady Lunafreya go?"

He was grinning, his voice playful and searching. Noctis snorted.

"It got interrupted by the Gods", he said, and Ignis whipped his head around to look at him, the advisor's expression clearly demanding that he elaborate. Gladiolus felt much the same.

"They… Were arguing. They act like a dysfunctional family. And Gentiana's one of them." The king's revelation caused a few noises of surprise.

"Intriguing", Ignis said, leaning forward to brace his elbows on his knees.

"Which one is she?", Gladiolus asked, thinking on who were left. Leviathan and Shiva were the only Goddesses, but Shiva was dead, wasn't she?

"Shiva."

 _Not dead then._ But could an Astral really die?

"Hm… There's more at work here than we know", Ignis said, lacing his fingers together.

"We need to find a way to know what's going on. Whatever they're up to affects us", the Shield said. Prompto sighed and dropped back, laying on the bed with his legs dangling.

"Can we do that after we rest?", he asked, making Gladiolus chuckle.

"We _are_ due for one", Ignis said, "however, we must first conquer the problem of there being only one bed."

The problem was fixed by hauling the bed from Noctis's room into theirs. Later, they would double up two to a bed, one tall man paired with a short one, though Gladiolus thoughts that no matter what Ignis got off easy because he was fairly lean. As long as the Shield didn't get stuck with him, they were fine. Otherwise someone would get pushed off the bed during the night and they'd be uncomfortably close.

Generally, he pushed for Noctis because it was his duty to remain close… Though the real reason was that Noctis didn't move at all once he was asleep.

Unlike Prompto.

Finding food wasn't too difficult, though they learned a little bit about the town through it. Meals were rationed off, and each week every person collected their meal tokens from the distributor. Two meals provided a day, if you wanted more you had to find it yourself. That rule disregarded children, who received four a day.

As Gladiolus discovered when a kid went and got a meal only for their parent to eat half of it, there was a fair amount of exploitation going on. Noctis only ate half of his because the rest of his plate consisted of vegetables. Canned vegetables.

Even Gladiolus had to have a moment's pause to convince himself they were fine. Their lives in Insomnia had meant fresh greens were available to them, and even when they were roaming Lucis's countryside, everything they collected was fresh. A far cry from the soggy carrots on his plate.

He ate them though, and they weren't so bad, but he could see that Noctis was definitely not going to finish up. Ignis took his tray with a sigh, trading it for his bread roll on a napkin.

"Ignis…", Gladiolus had done this before, "just let him go hungry. He'll eat it eventually."

Noctis tore his bread roll in half, staring at the Shield with an unreadable and unwavering blue gaze. Prompto snickered into his carrot stuffed roll and took another bite.

Ignis didn't reply, but Noctis smirked. Gladiolus's brow twitched. At least the left overs were eaten when a kid, probably about twelve, stopped and asked if they wanted them. The girl left happy with the vegetables that Noctis had turned his nose up at.

 _Gotta stop pampering him._

Exploring what remained of the city brought some frightening things to their attention. They were crossing an intersection, empty of vehicles with cracked granite, when a haunting wail rose up on their right. They all went stiff, looking down the street anxiously. The relative safety of Garanhai had let them relax, but the overwhelming darkness outside of the protected area was ominous, much like that cry.

Noctis was the first to start walking towards it, and Gladiolus hurried to reach his side, prepared to jump in front of the king if necessary. Ignis took his other side, and Prompto the rear. They had strayed far from where they had eaten and the building they were expected to rest in, and Gladiolus was beginning to recognize this area to be… Less put-together. There was trash on the sidewalks and street, windows were broken and boarded…. A rat scuttled out of some trash as they got closer, running straight across the street. Gladiolus noticed, uneasily, that the drainage holes were sealed up. Anything that led to the sewers were sealed.

The image of daemons crawling through the tunnels and pipes beneath them was a frightening one, and yet he knew they must be. The light of the haven stones didn't reach underground.

The wailing had died down, and Gladiolus could now identify a woman sobbing not too far away. Uneasy, he wanted to turn around and get all of them out of there.

"Maybe we should turn around", Prompto said, grabbing at Noctis's jacket.

"No", the king said, his gaze focused, "I need to know what's going on."

Noctis walked silently on towards the crying. They got closer, until the woman crying sounded only feet away. They turned a corner and found a small, paved courtyard with tents of various sizes along the edges, pressed against the walls of the buildings surrounding them on three sides. The road lay in front of the open section, and in the middle of the tents was a cleared area.

A woman kneeled there, her hair matted and stress-wrinkled skin sweaty and dirty. In her arms and on her lap was a toddler, limp and pale.

Gladiolus felt sick.

She was crying over the baby's corpse, her voice hoarse and her fingers clutching. There was blood on the fingers of her right hand, from where her nails had dug into the back of her left hand.

She looked up when the four men grazed her line of sight, and her dull brown eyes fell on Noctis.

"K-King Noctis- M-Majesty-", she hefted her child up, laying the baby against her chest as she stood and faltered, nearly collapsing back down in her grief. Her shoulders were hunched, every inch of her body struggling not to give in to despair.

Noctis was stiff, and Gladiolus wasn't able to think. This— this was something they had never seen.

"My baby- Save my baby-"

She offered the dead child to Noctis, who was frozen until the cold bundle was pressed to his chest. The woman's hands shook and tears cut through the grime on her cheeks as she looked up at the king desperately, cries breaking from her closed mouth.

Gladiolus knew that there was nothing they could do. They couldn't bring the dead back to life.

But Noctis raised his arms, slowly, and took the little child into them. Gladiolus could see the face now, a thin face that belonged to a little boy with hair that was too long and cheeks that were hollowed by malnutrition. The baby's wrists were thin, and dirty.

"H-He turn-ed three ju-st a month a-ago", the woman whispered, "Hi-His name is Giano…"

Gladiolus looked away, closing his eyes tight in pain, and opened them again to look past the woman. There was a whole group of people, each in front of a tent, and more than a few children. Quite a lot of the elderly too. He saw people lying down, rags lain on their brows, buckets next to them.

Quite suddenly, the scent of sickness and death assaulted him.

He heard Prompto let out a little noise and glanced back to find the blond wiping his eyes, gaze down on the ground but a hand gripping the material of Noctis's jacket. Gladiolus didn't know what to do. He couldn't just tell the lady that they couldn't help and haul Noctis off, though he should have.

He just couldn't.

"I…", Noctis's voice was quiet and raw with emotion, "I can't help him."

The woman let out a little sob and gripped her fingers tightly with one hand, squeezing the thin appendages.

"Y-You're t-he k-ing!", she cried. A man stood up from a tent some ways away and walked up, his gait slow and unsteady. He drew her back as she broke down and reached out to take the toddler.

He didn't say anything as Noctis handed the child over, just walked back to his tent and sunk down, holding him. The woman collapsed on the ground crying again, her sobs rising in volume until they were the only thing Gladiolus could hear.

Ignis grabbed Noctis by the shoulder and pulled him back, away, but the king's gaze didn't move from the people until they were out of sight. None of them spoke until they had gotten far enough that her cries were faint and distant.

"Your jacket, Noct", Ignis spoke softly, and the royal looked at him in confusion.

"There was illness in that camp", the advisor explained, his usually intense gaze softened with his own grief.

Prompto was still wiping at his eyes, but had let go of Noctis.

"Oh."

The king unzipped it and shrugged out of it, holding it in his hands. He glanced up unsurely at Ignis. What should they do with it?

"Let us search for a place to wash up before bed. I am sure there will be somewhere to wash our clothes."

A shower sounded good. Amazing, really. They found a place where showers could be taken, though it was a little unusual because it had been constructed after the damage to Garanhai was inflicted. It was built outdoors, rows of raised stalls with space in between the rows where fires could be lit. The stalls were constructed tall and thick for privacy… Though some of the walls looked like add-ons. The first model hadn't been the bare-bones it seemed, merely providing some decency.

Gladiolus would have expected Noctis to complain, but the royal said nothing.

There was a row of stalls that they claimed, and it took a minute to figure things out, but they got it. Water was heated outside of the stalls, drawn from a well that had a haven rock tossed down it, and then carried in. Shower heads were connected to tanks above them which were filled, and the water let flow by opening a valve. Conveniently, there was a spot in the stall to wash clothes. Ignis departed while they were heated water and returned with their soap, both for their bodies and for their clothes. He brought towels with him, and some spare outfits.

He offered to do Noctis's laundry, but the king shook his head and departed into his stall.

Gladiolus spent a few minutes enjoying the warmth of the water, something that was a bit of a rarity in their travels unless they had booked a motel room. He'd gotten used to washing off in cold lake water. Dirt came off of him in swirling, thick masses, reminding him that they hadn't thoroughly cleaned themselves since they started crossing the mountains. They would need to do a fair bit of laundry, but it would be nice to spend the rest of the night clean and in a bed.

Still, the death of the child haunted him. Were supplies really so low that the sickly were separated, like those with the plague? And why tents?

Questions that needed answers, but that he wasn't sure he wanted tonight.

He left the stall long after he finished cleaning off, having let the water run over him while he tugged the basin closer and washed his clothes. Dirt came up and made the water brown and impossible to see through, so he dumped it and filled it again with the basin he had brought with him. Ignis's laundry soap wasn't like the detergent he had used back in Insomnia, but it worked just as well.

He got another minute or two under the water before his tank was out and he was ready to dry off and head out. His clothes were rung out.

When he got out, he saw Ignis and Noctis waiting for him. Seeing the advisor's hair so flat was always good for a laugh because it hung right in his face, but before the amusement could even show on his face he caught sight of the redness of Noctis's eyes. When Prompto emerged, his eyes were just as bad, if not worse because his eyelids had gotten puffy.

No one was sure what to say, but then words weren't really necessary because they all understood the emotions they were all feeling. Horror, dread, sickness, grief.

Apparently the heaviness of it all was too much for Prompto, because a few tears dripped down his cheeks again. He went to duck his face, but Ignis curled an arm around him and Noctis both, tugging them close for a hug.

Gladiolus joined in a moment later, and they all took a long moment to draw strength and comfort from each other in a way they hadn't on their journey so far. Noctis shuddered, and let out a shaking breath.

"We're gunna fix this", the king said, voice low but strong, "we're going to make this better."

Gladiolus tightened his arms and then released.

"Damn right we are."


End file.
